Not As It Seems
by TheDroidsYoureLookingFor
Summary: She liked the silence. She loved having her own space even more. It was just too bad that all it took to disrupt her peaceful monotony was the attention of a particularly persistent shooting guard. But of course, help comes from the most unexpected places... even if she did think Tatsuya Himuro was a complete and utter shmuck. Himuro/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

Tatsuya Himuro was the guy everyone wanted to be friends with. His status as the new transfer student made him very popular, he was good-looking and athletic enough to catch the attention of the female population, and he was charismatic enough to garner the likings of both students and teachers alike. He was charming, yet somehow mysterious, and that only served to add to his allure. Naturally- being a new student- Tatsuya tried to maintain a good image in the eyes of his peers and educators, in the hopes of acclimating himself with the new environment he was in. Attention was something he definitely received often, but not something he was too keen on giving out on his own.

So it honestly surprised him when one particular student caught his eye.

It started during basketball and his teammates were taking a break from their strenuous activities, and he was simply chugging down a bottle of water when he saw her sitting way at the back of the stands in the basketball court. With her average height and neatly arranged hair, she wasn't really anything out of the ordinary. What caught his attention later on, however, was the fact that she showed up every time during basketball practice without fail, occasionally flipping through a book in her lap whenever the team wasn't doing anything particularly interesting. However, Himuro couldn't help but notice that every time he glanced up at her during one of the team's practice matches, she would almost always be watching one person in particular- Atsushi Murasakibara; the team's centre, and arguably one of his closest companions in school.

When Tatsuya had asked his coach- Masako Araki- about the girl's presence, she'd simply shrugged it off with a vague reply.

"She just watches us play. As long as she doesn't interfere with practice, I don't care what she does."

That had been enough to satiate Tatsuya's curiosity back when he first noticed her. But after a whole month of the same thing happening every week Tatsuya finally decided to do something about his increasing curiosity regarding the peculiar brunette. So, halfway through the usual break from practice one day, he approached her.

"Hello." Tatsuya called out, gaining the attention of the brunette as he walked up the stairs leading up to the stands. The girl started at his call and looked up from her book, while Tatsuya gave a small half-smile as he came up to her. He normally wore a more passive expression, but figured that he might as well try to make himself seem a bit more approachable when dealing with someone he wanted to converse with. "Sorry to interrupt you- I was just wondering if there's something I could help you with?"

"No, thank you." She responded simply, turning her gaze back towards the court.

"Oh. Okay." Tatsuya blinked, thrown somewhat off-guard. He definitely hadn't expected such a brief answer. "Is there someone you're looking for?"

"No. I'm fine." The girl replied again, not allowing much room for him to start a conversation.

"Any particular reason you're up here?" Tatsuya persisted, though he was growing a bit impatient with the girl's short answers towards his attempts at being friendly.

"I want to watch you all play basketball."

"Oh. Are you interested in the sport, yourself?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to see how you all play."

"Is there a reason you keep giving me such vague answers?" Tatsuya asked, almost exasperatedly. Upon realising how rude that sounded- despite his own impatience- he quickly apologised. "I'm sorry- I hope that did not come off as rude."

"No, you're not rude. I'm sorry for being so stand-offish." The girl sighed, before straightening up and finally meeting his eye. "Though I do wonder why you would suddenly speak to me."

"I will admit- I'm a bit curious as to why you're up here." Tatsuya responded, wearing that small half-smile again in the hopes of lightening the atmosphere once more. "You're always here whenever we practice, and I just thought it was a bit peculiar."

"I see." The brunette turned her gaze back to the rest of the basketball team members, who were still resting. Once again, Tatsuya noted that she was watching Atsushi in particular- up close, he could also see that there was another emotion barely concealed beneath the passivity of those blue eyes.

"So, what brings you up here every time?" Tatsuya prodded, leaning back against the wall.

"...I'm just trying to understand." She answered quietly, sounding almost forlorn.

"Hm?" Tatsuya tilted his head, prompting her to elaborate. The fact that he'd actually gotten an answer that wasn't a brief, commonplace sentence from the seemingly quiet girl was enough to catch his attention.

"Where did he go wrong..."

"Himuro!" The voice of Coach Araki barked, cutting the girl off before she could finish her sentence. Tatsuya looked back at the court to see the coach shooting him a pointed look. "Break's over- back to practice!"

"Alright, coach!" The raven-haired teen called back, pushing himself up from his previously slumped position against the wall. However, he glanced back at the brunette next to him, silently asking her to continue her sentence.

"You'd best go." She responded, turning away and returning to her usual silence. Apparently, she wasn't inclined to finish that curious sentence, and Tatsuya's brow furrowed slightly in frustration- this girl was a real puzzle. Deciding that the conversation had officially ended- and that he'd better not test Coach Araki's patience, lest she go after him as well as the brunette girl for interrupting training, which was the only reason the coach had tolerated her presence- Tatsuya turned around to head down the stairs. However, he paused as he suddenly realised something very important.

"Wait, what's your name?" He asked, glancing back at the brunette. Her hand paused from its action of twirling the braid lying across her shoulder, and the girl seemed to tense upon being addressed once more.

"...Mikoto Shirato." She replied, turning her blue-eyed gaze towards him again.

"I'm Tatsuya Himuro." Tatsuya replied, shooting Mikoto a slightly more sincere smile compared to his previous ones. "Will you be here next practice?"

"...Yeah." Mikoto responded, her voice holding a hint of caution.

"Right. I'll talk to you then." Tatsuya replied in a more friendly manner- a vague attempt to lower her guard before he continued walking down the stairs and onto the court. The girl's- Mikoto's- reaction was actually quite new to him, since most people (girls in particular) normally trusted him easily. To have someone so wary of him was different for the charismatic boy, but he found the change of pace somewhat... intriguing.

"Himuro, move it." Coach Araki ordered again, this time more threateningly. "Five laps around the gym- all of you, go!"

"Got it!" "Yes, Coach!" Came the responses of all the basketball team's members, and they all didn't hesitate to begin their laps. They had all been victims of Coach Araki's wrath before- the shinai she sometimes carried around wasn't just for show- and weren't particularly eager to experience it again.

"Hey, Muro-chin." Atsushi called out lazily as Tatsuya fell into step next to him as they ran. "What took you so long?"

"Just made a new friend." Tatsuya replied simply, not really bothering to go into detail- he doubted that Atsushi would really bother listening if he had, anyway.

"Another admirer?" Kenichi Okamura- the basketball team's captain- whined. Despite his large size and rough features, he was almost too easily affected by the smallest things- especially when it came to his unpopularity among those of the opposite gender. "It's not fair- Himuro always gets the girls!"

"It's not that sort of relationship..." Said boy responded, somewhat perturbed at the team captain's assumption. Kenichi was a great basketball player, but Tatsuya personally thought the captain needed to assert himself a bit more sometimes.

"'Course not. This is Shirato we're talking about. " Came the snide voice of Kensuke Fukui. The senior was quick-witted and sharp- a dangerous combination that made him quite the verbal attacker. His input however, piqued Tatsuya's interest.

"Do you know her?"

"She's been hanging around here since her first year." Kensuke shrugged. "I don't think I've seen Shirato talk to anyone for more than 10 seconds."

"Shirato isn't a complete introvert, Fukui." Wei Liu- the team's small forward, and the second tallest member of the team next to Murasakibara- interrupted, much to everyone's surprise.

"You defending her now, Liu?" Kensuke inquired, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't often that the Chinese exchange student commented on anything- he wasn't the most sociable individual.

"She is my lab partner. She does her side of the work efficiently enough." Liu responded.

"That would be the only reason you'd defend her..." The sandy-haired boy sighed. Liu only granted his acknowledgement upon someone if they proved their worth.

"Hey, Muro-chin- do you have any snacks? I'm still hungry..." Atsushi drawled, evidently not interested in the topic- as always. Most of the time, the only thing that really seemed to catch his interest was food.

"Hey!" Coach Araki yelled, scowling at the sight of her students slowing down as they conversed idly, not taking the practice as seriously as she'd have liked them to. "Stop yapping and keep running!"

"Yes ma'am!" They all responded quickly, the topic they had been discussing immediately forgotten like it had never even started in the first place.

As Tatsuya completed his first lap, he spared a brief glance back at the stands again. For once, Mikoto Shirato's eyes were following him carefully, a curious expression on her face. It wasn't often that Tatsuya Himuro was incapable of reading someone's expression, and Mikoto was succeeding in doing just that. A rare change of events, and yet...

_'Interesting, indeed...'_

* * *

Later that night, Mikoto Shirato sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the phone in her hands as her thumb hesitantly hovered over the 'call' button. She already had the contact on the screen, so all she had to do was press a button...

Taking a deep breath, Mikoto finally pushed down the 'call' option, and she twisted her braid around her finger as she held her phone to her ear. The line was ringing, but no one was picking it up yet. Even so, Mikoto prayed silently that this time the person she was trying to call would finally answer- it had been several months since she'd last spoken to him...

"The person you are calling is not available." Came the prerecorded voice that would redirect her to voice mail. "Please leave a message after the tone."

A beep. Mikoto gave a small, almost bitter sigh. She'd been through this routine every single time she'd tried calling him, and she always left a voice message at the end of it all. But not even once had she gotten a single reply from him. Even so, she would try again anyway...

"Hey," Mikoto greeted, trying to sound nonchalant. She didn't quite want to sound too desperate- even if she really wanted to speak with the person on the other end of the line. "It's me. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here, and all. Mom won't stop bugging me about calling you."

No response. Normally, Mikoto would have hung up by now and just hoped for a response, but today... she decided to try and push a bit more- just to try and get him to listen.

"...I know we didn't part on the best terms the last time." She continued, her grip on the phone tightening slightly. "But I'd still like to hear from you every now and then. So please- just call me back... It's lonely."

Still nothing. Mikoto didn't know why she even bothered.

Just as she had given up any hope of getting an answer and was about to hang up, there was a sudden clicking sound on the other end. A male voice suddenly spoke from the other end- a voice she hadn't heard in a long time.

"Wait, Miko."

Mikoto froze up in surprise, her blue eyes widening in disbelief.

And then- for the first time in a long while- Mikoto smiled.

"It's about time you picked up... you big jerk."

* * *

**AN: Hey guys- Droids here! I suppose this new fic that suddenly came out of nowhere must be a surprise to those of ya'll who are following GATG now, but the idea for this story just got to me and I couldn't resist the urge to write at least one chapter. I cannot run from the Kurobasu fanbase... or my adoration for Himuro 8'D**

**But anyway... This chapter was sort of a test drive- to see if I could catch the characterization of the characters properly, and also to try my hand at something different from what I'm used to. I won't officially start focusing on this fic just yet (at the very least, not until I've finished GATG), however I will post occasional updates whenever I finish any. I'd very much like to hear from ya'll readers if I got the characterisations okay so far! I know it's still a little too soon to tell, but do tell me if you think there's anything I need to work on- I would like to be able to write this fic to the best of my abilities. And yes, the person Mikoto was talking to is indeed a canon character. As for who it was... well, ya'll are gonna have to wait and find out, eh?**

**But until then- cheers, guys! Thanks for dropping by!**

**~Droids**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

"You came back." Tatsuya greeted pleasantly as he made his way up to the stands, toting his water bottle with him. It was time for the team's usual 10 minute break from practice, and he was glad for the time to rest as he sat next to Shirato, who was as silent as always. He made sure to keep a relative distance from her, since he wasn't quite sure of her boundaries with physical contact. That, and also because getting too close probably wouldn't be the best thing to do when he was drenched in sweat- which he had to admit was rather repulsive.

"I'm always here." Mikoto responded, though she still remained somewhat cautious of him.

"Still, I was worried I might have scared you off after last time." Tatsuya responded, wearing a small smile in the hopes of getting the girl to relax. He really didn't have any ill intentions- he simply wanted to make himself approachable. Of course, he was still curious about her own motives as well, but that could be easily dealt with if he got to know her better.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't doing this partially because he felt somewhat challenged, though. His natural charm normally had people befriending and trusting him within a short span of time despite his somewhat passive aura, but Shirato an oddity- she seemed practically immune to his charisma. She just seemed like a very interesting puzzle that he couldn't quite solve.

"It would take a lot more than that to get rid of me." Mikoto replied, and Tatsuya thought he detected a sliver of a challenge in her voice.

"Thankfully." He entertained her words, before he brought his bottle to his lips, taking a few gulps of water. After a few beats of silence, Tatsuya finally turned back to Mikoto, an inquisitive look in his eyes. "About the question I asked yesterday..."

"I'm simply doing a bit of observational research." The girl responded quickly- almost too quickly, Tatsuya noted.

"How so?" He asked.

"Observing the ethics and technique behind basketball." Mikoto replied, her expression not betraying anything. "It's interesting to see the way players interact on the court."

"You've been doing research for more than a month?" Tatsuya asked skeptically. The way she put it forth was rather believeable- he would have to give her credit for that- but it didn't add up to her slip of the tongue yesterday. She'd mentioned a 'he'... could she have been referring to Atsushi?

"I just like watching you guys play." She repeated her excuse from the last time, earning a frown from Tatsuya.

"So you say..." Before Tatsuya could continue the conversation, however, a voice interrupted him.

"Hey, Muro-chin."

"Ah, Atsushi." Tatsuya greeted glancing up at the giant first-year standing before him. Atsushi Murasakibara was the basketball team's centre, and his huge stature made him practically impassable on the court- making him very efficient in his role. Together with Tatsuya, the two of them were considered the strongest of Yosen's team- even better than their seniors.

"You told me you were going to bring me a snack today." Tatsuya drawled, munching on a maiubou - he must have opened it earlier, and the coach was shooting him a glare that clearly indicated her disapproval of his eating habits. But then again, she'd already learned that there was really nothing anyone could do to stop him, since taking away that privilege from him would lead to a very unmotivated centre during training.

"Don't worry, I brought them." Tatsuya reassured. He then glanced back at Mikoto, who was tilting her head back pretty far just to catch a glimpse of the first-year's face. "Atsushi is very fond of food." He elaborated.

"I can tell." Shirato muttered in reply. She just stared at the violet-haired giant of Yosen's basketball team while Tatsuya watched on in amusement. From what he could tell, she wasn't very tall herself- only standing at about 160 centimetres- and comparing her to Atsushi was like comparing a rabbit to an elephant.

"Hn? Muro-chin, is this your girlfriend?" Atsushi tilted his head curiously, shifting his gaze to Mikoto, who tensed up upon catching his eye.

"She's not my girlfriend." Tatsuya explained patiently. "We're just talking."

"Hm..." Atsushi mused, still crunching on his maiubou.

And then he suddely leaned half his body forth- until he was almost face-to-face with Mikoto. The girl flinched backwards instinctively, but Atsushi just continued staring blankly back at her, speaking in an almost lazy drawl. "Muro-chin's not-girlfriend looks very familiar."

"I'm afraid we haven't really met before this, Murasakibara-kun." Mikoto responded, though Tatsuya could tell that she was struggling to keep up her neutral facade.

"Really?" Atsushi hummed, jabbing a finger at her face almost accusingly. "But I've seen your eyes before... it annoys me."

"Really, Atsushi- there's no need to scare her like that." Tatsuya interjected upon seeing Mikoto growing even more defensive at Atsushi's comment- he could practically see her hackles rising. "You've probably just seen her around school."

"Maybe." Atsushi responded, though he continued scrutinising the girl from beneath his half-lidded eyes. The brunette cringed slightly under his gaze, and it was then that Tatsuya decided to divert his teammate's attention elsewhere.

"The gummy bears are in my bagpack- it's on the bench in the locker rooms. You can have them now if you want." Tatsuya commented, immediately gaining Atsushi's attention.

"Mm. Okay." Atsushi nodded, before standing back up at his full height and heading towards the locker rooms, where the team members usually placed their belongings- his previous intentions all forgotten. Once he was gone, Tatsuya shot Mikoto a somewhat apologetic glance.

"I hope that didn't make you feel too uncomfortable- Atsushi can be a little bit unnerving to those who aren't used to him." .

"No. It's alright." She replied, relief evident in her features.

"Do you know Atsushi personally, by any chance?" Tatsuya asked, watching the girl's reaction carefully. His observations had proven that for some reason or other, Mikoto seemed to have a very keen interest in Atsushi. It made him curious- especially if what she said was true, and that was that she had never officially met the boy before this.

"...I was his senior back in our middle school as well." Mikoto admitted, much to Tatsuya's surprise. "But we've never actually talked."

"I see." He hummed. "You seem to recognise him rather well, though."

"With that kind of height, I'd be blind to miss it." She muttered- for a moment, Tatsuya thought there was a heavy bit of resentment underlying her tone, but he wasn't quite sure.

"That's also true." He highly doubted that it was just Atsushi's height that attracted her curiosity, though...

"Alright, everyone! Back to practice!" Came the strict voice of Coach Araki, demanding the attentions of those present once more.

"Haah? I didn't get to eat the snack Muro-chin got for me yet..." Atsushi complained woefully.

"No complaints." The coach interrupted, feeling no sympathy for the boy's predicament.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, then." Tatsuya shrugged as he stood up, shooting Mikoto his trademark half-smile. "It was nice talking to you."

"You too." She responded, though he had a feeling she said so out of politeness more than anything else. Tatsuya then headed down the stairs, depositing his bottle on a nearby bench before heading towards the court. Just as he did, though, Coach Araki tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face the coach, whose expression was as serious as ever.

"Remember, Himuro- I allowed her to stay because she didn't interfere with practice." Coach Araki reminded him, not needing to elaborate who 'she' was. "But if she starts to distract you, I will have to do something about it."

"Don't worry about that, Coach." Tatsuya responded, though he felt a bit irked that the coach was treating him like some sort of child. "That's not going to happen during practice."

"Hm. At least she doesn't seem like one of your admirers." Masako commented, returning her gaze to the clipboard in her hands.

"If you ask me, Coach, I think she's more interested in Atsushi than anyone else."

"So you noticed." The dark-haired coach shot Tatsuya a look. "I'd rather not be forced to kick her out of the gym, Himuro- as long as you don't lose your focus, we won't have a problem." The woman then tilted her head towards where the rest of the team was gathered, indicating for Himuro to join them. "Now get moving."

"Gotcha, coach."

* * *

On the days that the basketball team didn't hold their practices, Mikoto focused her attention and free time after school elsewhere- mostly on either her studies or the gymnastics club. She couldn't quite remember exactly how she got into gymnastics- she just knew that it was fun to do, so she went with it. She never participated in any competitions, but she didn't exactly bother about that- she just did whatever she felt like doing. However, Mikoto's perfectionist nature had a tendency to emerge when it came to gymnastics, as it did with most of the things she did.

Personally, Mikoto really wished it didn't- she got frustrated far too easily.

The girl shook her hands out as she fixed her eyes on the lower of the two uneven parallel bars. She'd covered her grips in chalk again for the who-knows-how-many-eth time that day, running through the routine over and over again. All she needed now was to go through the whole thing without a mistake...

Leaping up to grab the low bar, Mikoto used her momentum to swing herself into a kip, before transferring to a handstand. She followed it up with a glide kip, and then a squat to a stand on the low bar. Her body moved automatically- the routine drilled into her head. A leap to the high bar, a swing, and then, she came back in a blind back-straddle over the low bar- that part was the trickiest for her, and Mikoto gave a small exhale of relief when she got it right.

That was followed by another leap to the high bar. The girl pushed herself into a long hanging kip, and then casted to a full handstand on top of the high bar and did a pirouette. Now, for the finish. Mikoto grit her teeth as she swung around in two big swings and pushed off into a flyaway dismount, before landing perfectly on her feet without the slightest stumble.

_'Good'_. Mikoto smiled in satisfaction. After working non-stop on that routine, finally being able to run through it without messing up felt like quite the accomplishment. It wasn't the most complicated routine- especially that finish- but now that she'd gotten it down, she could add a few more moves to it.

"Hey, Shirato-chan." The captain of the gymnastics team, Hinata Matsuki called out, gaining her attention. The blonde captain raised her hands into a 'T' sign, shooting Mikoto a strict look. "Take 5- you've been going at it for a long time. Don't overdo it."

"Right, Matsuki-chan." Mikoto nodded in affirmation, her breathing somewhat laboured as she heeded the order from her captain without hesitation. She hadn't taken a break since the beginning of practice, and could feel her muscles beginning to ache from all that strain. She'd lost track of time, and if not for Hinata's heads-up, she probably would have overworked herself even more.

Hinata was quite a nice person- Mikoto would daresay she considered the blonde as more of a friend than a simple acquaintance- but she took her role as captain very seriously. She looked out for each member of the team and their wellbeing, and was determined to make sure no one pushed too far or got injured if they could help it on her watch.

Plopping herself down on the first row of the bleachers at the side of the gym, Mikoto leaned back against the row behind her and shut her eyes, trying to catch her breath- yep, she was definitely glad that Matsuki had interrupted her when she had. She felt completely wiped out.

"Practice rough on you?" Came a smooth male voice- one that Mikoto was starting to grow acquainted with. She opened her eyes and turned towards the source of the voice, her gaze meeting that of a familiar raven-haired teen's, whose left eye was covered by his long bangs.

Mikoto didn't know what her classmates and other girls saw in that sort of look that made him so appealing to them- even looking at those bangs covering so much of his face made her hand twitch. She was very particular about neatness- especially when it came to hair. All she wanted to do was glue his hair to the base of his skull if it would keep it from looking so messy... even more so for that giant purple-haired friend of his.

"Himuro-kun." Mikoto greeted calmly, resisting the urge to just sit him down and forcefully brush back those bangs. She didn't really question his presence here- Tatsuya was probably one of the guys who was helping to carry in the boxes of water for the gymnastics team today. It was a normal thing- a random bunch of guys would be entrusted to the task every time. Since Yosen's gymnastics club only consisted of girls, some guys were all too eager to help out and get their attention.

Though in certain cases- such as in the case of the boy standing before her- it was the girls who asked the guys to help them out simply because they wanted an excuse to chat them up. It wasn't a technique Mikoto particularly approved of or would have used herself, but if it got her the drink she wanted, then she would accept it. The ends justified the means.

"You look beat." Tatsuya commented, before passing her a bottle of water from the box he was carrying. "Here- you probably want this."

"Ah, thanks." Mikoto thanked as she accepted the bottle, twisting open the cap and downing several gulps of the water in one go. She supposed it wasn't the most ladylike thing to do, but she was far too thirsty to care at the moment.

Plus, Tatsuya was probably going to try and talk to her, so maybe this would put him off.

"I didn't know you were in the gymnastics club." Tatsuya commented as Mikoto lowered her bottle, exhaling in relief as the cool liquid subdued some of her exhaustion.

Well, she tried.

"It's just a pastime." Mikoto responded.

"But you're pretty good at it."

"Not really. I'm just average."

"It's better than what I'd be capable of." Tatsuya shrugged, that half-smile of his gracing his lips. "You gymnasts make it look easy, though."

"It's quite tiring, actually."

"I can tell that you enjoy it, though." He tilted his head in the direction of the parallel bars. "Back there when you landed- that was the first time I've seen you smile."

"You were watching?" Mikoto asked, faintly surprised. She hadn't noticed that she was being watched as she ran through her routine- she had been too caught up in it too look around.

"Yeah." The expression in Tatsuya's visible eye became a bit more teasing as he continued. "You ever consider doing that more often?"

"What, I'm not already charming enough?" Mikoto muttered. Her response made the boy pause briefly- did her sarcasm surprise him?

"Yo, Himuro!" Kensuke Fukui suddenly called out, gaining Himuro's attention. The senior was making his way towards them, that usual flat expression on his face. "We need more bottles over there- go help em out."

"Right." Tatsuya nodded, before glancing at Mikoto again. "I'll talk to you later, Shirato-chan."

"Right." Mikoto raised a hand in farewell, and Tatsuya made his way towards the other gymnasts who were waiting for their refreshments. As soon as he was out of earshot, Kensuke raised a brow at Mikoto.

"I see you've made a new friend, Shirato." He commented.

"I do have a social life, Fukui-senpai." Mikoto replied. When it came to Kensuke, she was a bit more snappish- though she hadn't talked much with him, he was well renowned for his sharp tongue. She wasn't particularly eager to let herself be a victim of his witty comments.

"A microscopic one, yeah."

"Your faith in me is most inspiring."

"Well, someone's feeling sassy today." Kensuke commented drily, though his expression remained monotonous. Mikoto would be lying if she said she didn't feel like smacking her snarky acquaintance upside his head sometimes. "Hurry up and finish your water, Shirato."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Mikoto sighed, finishing the last of her water in several gulps. She didn't really want to drag out a verbal debate with Kensuke anyway. Crushing the plastic bottle in her hand, she crumpled it into a wad, heading towards the trash can at the end of the gym to get rid of it. Just as she was a couple of feet away from the bin, however, she paused as an idea came to her. The girl looked around- making sure no one was watching- and then slowly lifted the hand holding the plastic wad, hesitating as she estimated the distance between herself and the bin. Once she did, she threw the crushed bottle, hoping to land it inside the trashcan...

Nope. Bounced off the rim. That was embarrassing.

Sighing as she walked forth to pick up the fallen plastic wad, Mikoto couldn't help but let a dry smirk cross her face as a memory resurfaced in her mind...

_"Miko, you suck at this game." The eleven year-old boy criticised bluntly as the basketball Mikoto had attempted to shoot into the basket bounced off the rim... for the fifteenth time in a row. The twelve year-old Mikoto just scowled as she turned back to her companion, who at the time was shorter than she was._

_"Well if you're so great, why don't you do it then?" Mikoto challenged, pointing at the basketball that had rolled off to the side of the empty playground court._

_The boy didn't even blink at the demand. Instead, he fetched the stray basketball, striding back towards the three-pointer line where Mikoto was standing. Raising the basketball and falling into the usual shooting position, he jumped up slightly as he threw the ball. It soared through the air in a long arc... and landed straight into the basket. The boy just turned back towards Mikoto, raising an eyebrow._

_"...Don't even say it." Mikoto mumbled sulkily, her eyes glued to the floor in embarrassment._

_He just grinned cheekily back at her._

Mikoto felt her mood drop at the memory, and gave small "tch" of annoyance. She headed back towards the balance beam, wanting to just run through a couple of basic routines to focus her attention elsewhere. As she hoisted herself onto the beam, she couldn't help but notice that most of the gymnasts had left their practice, and were currently gathering around the boys who had helped to bring in the refreshments. Good- that meant that she didn't have to worry about having any eyes on her.

The girl balanced herself on her feet as she stood on the beam, tuning everything out as her mind and body went on autopilot. Three cartwheels down the length of the beam, a spin, and then a walkover- she lost herself as she went through the routine. She forgot about mysterious Tatsuya, the sarcastic Kensuke, the gushing club members... but most of all, she forgot about the person she had spoken to the other night- the same one she'd remembered earlier. It was like he didn't even exist.

And if he didn't exist, then she didn't have to worry about never reaching him.

...

Amidst all the people he was surrounded by, Tatsuya shot a glance at the brunette cartwheeling on the balance beam, who wore a carefully blank look on her face as she went through her movements. And he found himself wondering- not for the first time- just what was running through Mikoto's mind.

* * *

Blue eyes stared out the windows of the the moving train, watching the scenery of the city zoom past as the train continued along its path. It was evening, and the sky was cast into various shades of red and orange as Mikoto made her way back home from school. She wasn't really focusing on anything in particular as she sat in the moving train, wondering if she should help to man the cashier at the mini market her dad owned today- it wasn't like she had much schoolwork anyway...

A ringing from her cellphone broke her quiet musings, and Mikoto reached into her pocket to take out the device. She took a moment to identify the name on the caller ID screen, and when she did, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. However, the surprise in her expression quickly turned to happiness as she gave a smile, pressing on the 'answer' button.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea as to why you've called." Mikoto said as she answered the phone, a playful tone in her voice. When she got a response, her smile grew a bit wider. "I don't blame you for being surprised- I guess my persistence paid off." Another pause, and then Mikoto gave a short bark of laughter at the reply she got. "He called me that? What a jerk."

On Mikoto's side of the line, there was a brief silence as the person she was speaking to asked a question.

"Yeah. Murasakibara-kun is attending my school. His skills are getting better, too. He doesn't seem to remember me all that well, though- not that I expected him to." Mikoto mused. "I'm actually surprised they haven't kicked me out of the gym yet, since I don't actually do anything."

Mikoto paused for a minute, a sudden thought occurring to her. Her expression solemned, and she continued in a quieter voice.

"You know, I never got to apologise for moving and having to leave everything to you. I'm sorry I can't help with-"

Mikoto was cut off as her friend on the other end of the line immediately interrupted her, her reprimanding voice making Mikoto cringe sheepishly. She scratched her cheek awkwardly as her friend continued to berate her over the phone for her pessimistic thoughts, waiting until she finally finished venting her frustrations- if there was one thing Mikoto learned in life, it was that you never interrupted a woman when she ranted. So instead, she sighed and leaned back in her seat, waiting for her friend to finish before she continued the conversation in a lighter tone.

"Yes, I understand. But enough about that- it's been a while, Satsuki-chan. How're you doing?"

* * *

**AN: I can't believe there are already favs and follows for this fic. Like, wow- only one chapter yo, and I personally didn't think it was really all that great... thanks for the support, guys! It was really cuz of you guys that I got off my lazy arse and finished the draft for this chapter- I sorta owed it to you all, given how short the last one was xD**

**Do let me know if anything seemed too OOC or peculiar to you guys- this is sort of new for me, so I would like to work on my ability to write it properly! Critiques are welcome!**

**Many thanks to Crescent Shadow for reviewing as well as favouriting and following this fic, Xxdreamergirl95xX for adding both my profile and this fic to your alerts and favourites, TheEccentric1 for favouriting this fic and my profile, Unoriginal3 and Lumihiutale89 for favouriting this story, and finally Yuuki-Hime 2097, animesrule9, Doll with no brain, Flefleflo, loliconkawaii Xx1DaY4dReAmEr3xX and via26 for following this fic! You guys are too kind!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

The library of Yosen High was actually one of Mikoto's favourite places in the school. The school library was actually very well-stocked when it came to reading material, much to her enjoyment. There were only two things she disliked about the place:

1\. Mrs Akira, the extremely strict librarian who wouldn't let students utter so much as a peep above what she deemed as the 'appropriate volume' without shushing them viciously.

2\. The ridiculously tall bookshelves which were a nightmare to any student below 6ft in height.

Not being the tallest individual, Mikoto struggled to even have the tips of her fingers brush the bottom of the books on the tallest shelves- and that was when she stood on her tiptoes. While Mikoto appreciated the variety and quantity of books in the school library, she still cursed whoever it was that got the idea to get bookshelves this high.

The girl huffed quietly to herself as she pushed up the reading glasses she was wearing on the bridge of her nose. It would be just her luck that the book she wanted was on the highest shelf. From where she was standing in the aisle, she glanced around, looking for the two stepping stools normally used for reaching the higher shelves. One was in use, and the other was out of sight- possibly being used in the back, as usual. That was another thing Mikoto detested about the school library- the least they could do was provide more stepping stools for the students. As if torturing them with skyscraper-esque bookshelves wasn't enough...

"Well, screw you too, genetics." Mikoto cursed her height under her breath.

"You're not as demure as you look, are you?"

The girl nearly jumped at the voice that suddenly came out of seemingly nowhere, freezing up immediately. It took her a moment to register what had just been said- which made her flush in embarrassment at being caught- as well as to recognize the owner of the voice.

"H-Himuro-kun." Mikoto cleared her throat, inwardly cursing herself for stuttering as she turned towards the raven-haired boy. She reached up to adjust her glasses- a subtle attempt to hide her flushed face. "Are you stalking me?"

"Not at all, actually. I'm supposed to be getting a book for a Literature assignment." Tatsuya replied, and Mikoto could tell he was trying very hard to restrain the amused smirk that threatened to break his poker face. "Do you need a hand?"

"No. That's alright." Mikoto answered shortly, turning back towards the bookshelf. She picked out a random book from a lower shelf and opened it, trying to make herself look busy.

"I didn't know you needed reading glasses." Tatsuya commented, gesturing to the half-rimmed frames she was wearing.

"We've only just met, Himuro-kun. There are plenty of things you wouldn't know about me." Mikoto responded, not even bothering to look up from the book- she wasn't actually reading it, just pretending to skim through it.

"In that ca-" A loud 'shhhh' sound cut Himuro off before he could continue that sentence- Mrs Akira was shooting him a dirty look from the counter near the entrance, clearly wanting him to keep it down. Tatsuya shot the librarian an apologetic smile- not that he really meant it, though. He wasn't even speaking all that loudly; Mrs Akira was just being her usual cranky self.

"In that case, we should try to know each other better. We're friends, after all- right?" Himuro asked, lowering his voice even more to avoid attracting attention again.

"May I ask just why you've taken such an interest in me?" Mikoto asked, her tone close to exasperated. She just wanted to grab that Calculus book on the top shelf and leave, yet here Tatsuya was trying to chum up to her- what was with that question, anyway? It had been two weeks since their first encounter, and he was still as complex as ever. How was she supposed to befriend someone she could barely trust? Not to mention that she still didn't know why he was so persistent...

"You just seem like a very interesting person, Shirato-chan." He responded, sounding undeterred by her cold words.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Himuro-kun, but I'm really not." Mikoto retorted. Before the boy could protest, she quickly cut him off again, in a lower voice. "And before you utter that next sentence, Himuro-kun- I would like to point out that Mrs Akira is trying very hard to impale us with that glare of hers, so I would think twice before saying anything more."

Tatsuya seemed to take this into account, as silence fell over the two once more. Mikoto was pretty sure that she'd successfully thrown him off and ended all form of interaction between them, but instead he was the one who surprised her when he suddenly handed her a book- the exact one she'd been eyeing earlier. Failing to conceal the surprise in her expression, she shot Himuro a curious glance.

"I meant what I said, Shirato-chan." Tatsuya insisted, somewhat pleased to get a reaction out of the stoic girl. He placed the book in her hands, turning around as he made to head out. Before he did, though...

"And by the way, that book you were 'reading' was upside down." He tossed casually over his shoulder. As he walked out of the library and turned to close the door behind him, he shot Mikoto a brief glance. She was just staring after him, mouth agape and her face flushed in embarrassment.

Tatsuya couldn't help himself- his lips twitched upwards slightly into a small smirk.

Score one for him.

* * *

"Hey, Shirato-chan."

Mikoto had to restrain a small sigh when she registered the owner of the voice calling out to her, and she raised her head to see Tatsuya standing before her, drenched in sweat from practice. The session today had just ended, and she'd thought she had already gone through her fair share of socializing with the raven-haired boy as it was. It wasn't that he wasn't good company- heck, he'd actually proven to be quite the insightful individual- but something about him just had her keeping him at arm's length, not wanting to get close. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that reminded her of a certain someone- an arrogance that made her extremely careful around him.

"Himuro-kun. May I help you?" Mikoto questioned. Even if she was trying to avoid getting close to him, she still knew when to give respect to others when they deserved it.

"Actually, I was just wondering," Tatsuya began amicably. "You ride the train back home too, right?"

"Yes." Mikoto replied. Where was this going...?

"Ah, that's good. I'm heading towards the station myself- mind if I join you?"

"You want to walk with me to the station?" Mikoto asked in disbelief. After all those one-sides conversations she'd had with him, he actually wanted to spend more time in her company than he had to?

"Yeah." Tatsuya shrugged. "Could you wait a minute, though? I have to go grab my things."

"...Do what you want." Mikoto replied after a brief silence, during which she wondered if Tatsuya had a few screws loose in his head. Honestly, any other person would have gotten the message that she preferred her solitude over his company and backed off by now...

"Thanks. I'll just be a second." Tatsuya called back as he made his way towards the gym's locker rooms, leaving behind a perplexed Mikoto staring after his retreating back. She just didn't get it- how could he be so much like one of them on the court, and yet... so different when he wasn't?

"...Tch." Mikoto clicked her tongue in frustration, shoving her hands into her skirt pockets- one of the few habits she had picked up from a certain acquaintance of hers. "Whatever."

* * *

"Shirato agreed to your request?" Liu asked as Tatsuya opened his locker, fishing around for his things within his neat compartment, having changed back into his regular uniform.

"Surprisingly." Tatsuya admitted, not hiding the fact that he himself hadn't been sure of Mikoto's acceptance to let him join her on her walk back. It was sort of a gamble he had made by asking for her permission, but he figured it would be better than joining her without her compliance- hopefully, this would have her a little less guarded.

"Even Shirato-san agreed to go out Himuro now?" Kenichi complained, a distraught expression crossing his face. "How'd you do it?! Not even a normal girl would agree to walk with me..."

"It's simple for him." Kensuke deadpanned as he changed out of his basketball jersey and put on his usual summer uniform. "Given that he's far more attractive than you'll ever be."

"That's not helping!" Kenichi retorted. Really, one would think that as captain, his teammates would have been a little nicer to him...

"Beyond this senseless rambling, Himuro," Liu commented monotonously, glancing back at Tatsuya as he ignored his other teammates' rambling. "Just what is your motive for trying to socialize with Shirato?"

Tatsuya seemed to pause for a moment as he considered Liu's question, before he shrugged. He then put on his usual, mysterious half-smile- an expression that could have brought a thousand different meanings when worn by him.

"It doesn't hurt to try something different."

* * *

'_It always sucks to do something different.'_

Mikoto gave a long exhale as she thought that, lamenting the break from her usual, monotonous routine. She really had no idea what to say or how to keep a conversation going with others, so walking with Tatsuya wasn't much different from walking home alone like she normally did- and that was in silence. But hey, maybe now he would realize how pointless his venture to grow acquainted with her was and would leave her alone-

"So, which part of town do you live in?"

Damn. This guy was persistent.

"The residential area behind the Bunkiten mini market. My dad runs the place."

"Oh, that's convenient."

"It is." Mikoto replied. After that, there was another long silence, and she thought that was the end of all conversation-

"So, how's your research going?"

Ugh.

"It's okay." Mikoto answered neutrally.

"Is it even really research at all?" Tatsuya asked. Evidently, he didn't believe her previous excuse for a minute- for good reason, though. It had been sort of a lie on her part...

"Like I've said, I just-"

"Like to watch us play, I know, I know." Tatsuya finished in her stead, though he gave a light, placating smile at her exasperated look. "Still, your motives are rather questionable. What if you're taking data for an opponent school?"

"Even if I was, it's not like it would help any against the Shield of Aegis." Mikoto muttered, sounding almost contemptuous.

"You sound resentful of that name." Tatsuya noted, shooting Mikoto a curious glance. They were already at the train stop, and he graciously made way for her to make her payment and go past the turnstile before he proceeded to do the same.

"Any name given to a particular group of players irks me." Mikoto replied evenly.

"What's the basis for that?" He asked.

"Other players tend to be ignored." Mikoto answered as she stood on the waiting platform- her train wasn't here yet, so that meant more waiting. How wonderful. "And then there's the issue of arrogance. As far as I'm concerned, such grand titles tend to bring out the worst in a team."

"That's a bit harsh though, don't you think?" Tatsuya mused. "Not all teams are like that."

"True. But I've had my fair share of bad experience with such teams." Mikoto replied vaguely. That piqued Tatsuya's interest- so she'd had experience with another basketball team before? And from the sound of it, a good one, too... however, he could tell that she wasn't quite ready to convey more details about that particular fact just yet, so he subtly diverted the topic.

"You should come watch our next match." Tatsuya commented. "Maybe it'll be good for your research or whatever it is you're doing."

"...That's true." Mikoto agreed thoughtfully. "I'd actually like to see how you fare on the court, Himuro-kun."

"Really?" Tatsuya raised a brow. He certainly hadn't expected her agreement- let alone for her to express interest in watching him play.

"Yes. Your playing style is... different from what I'm used to seeing." The brunette replied, meeting his gaze. "It's quite interesting, actually. Very elegant."

"You really think so?" Tatsuya asked, a small smile gracing his features when Mikoto nodded in affirmation. "Thanks. You'll be cheering me on, right?"

"Perhaps. Though you probably won't hear me over your two thousand fangirls if I did." Mikoto scoffed.

"What?"

"You mean to say you don't notice the cult of females that sing praises to your heavenly looks and gorgeous hair in school almost every day?" Mikoto replied, shooting her companion a disbelieving look.

"You-" Tatsuya cut himself off as he registered what the girl had said, laughing shortly in surprise. When he looked back up at the brunette, his single, visible eye was crinkled slightly as he gave another slight smile- this one more sincere than his previous ones. "So you do have a sense of humour." He accused.

"You say that as if it's a surprise." Mikoto commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...you didn't seem the type." He responded, shrugging. She definitely didn't come off as the joking sort, even if some of her previous comments had hinted at such.

"It's not something I particularly like to show off." Mikoto admitted.

"I like it, though. Makes you seem more approachable."

"How so?"

"I suppose you could say it makes you less... unreal?" Tatsuya then shook his head as he realized what he'd just said, shooting Mikoto an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, that must have sounded rude."

"No. It makes sense." Mikoto responded, her tone wistful.

"Now you just sound depressing." Tatsuya tilted his head. "Care to explain?"

"I have trouble socializing on my own."

"Isn't Liu a friend of yours, though?"

"More of a co-worker. Liu-kun isn't very talkative."

"Neither are you, though."

"Point taken."

"But in all honesty- I think you're actually pretty good company." Tatsuya admitted. "Maybe you should try being yourself more often. I think you'd make lots of friends of you did."

"Quality over quantity, Himuro-kun." Mikoto replied, idly adjusting the strap of her bagpack.

"Well, if you don't have a 'quantity' to begin with, how are you gonna find the 'quality'?" He countered, placing his hands in his pockets in a casual manner as he shot the girl an almost challenging look. Mikoto bit her cheek as she took his words into consideration, knowing- reluctantly- that he did have a point.

Darn it. She hated admitting she was wrong. There was only ever one person who had managed irk her that way...

_'Miko, you suck at this game.'_

"You're a very strange person, Himuro-kun." Mikoto said after a moment of silence, though Tatsuya could have sworn that there was something different in the girl's expression this time as she looked back at him.

"So I've been told." Tatsuya gave another light chuckle in response, before an announcement on the PA system caught his attention. He then turned his head towards the tracks, seeing a familiar train coming to a stop at the platform before he faced Mikoto again. "There's my train- I'll see you around, Shirato-chan."

The girl just nodded in response, and Tatsuya shot her another small smile as he made his way onto the train. He had to hand it to himself- he'd definitely made some progress today. Perhaps he was getting closer to unravelling the puzzle that was Mikoto Shirato...

"Hey, Himuro-kun."

The sound of Mikoto's voice calling out to him caught his attention just as he stepped onto the train, and he turned around to see said girl standing where he'd left her.

"Yeah?" He responded, faintly surprised to have Mikoto calling out to him. It was rare that she ever tried to approach him first...

"I guess you could say we're friends." She said simply, her expression as unchanging as ever.

Tatsuya blanched.

"What?" He exclaimed, surprise evident on his features in a rare show of emotion.

"I'll see you, Himuro-kun." Mikoto waved as the doors to the train started to close.

"Wha- wait-"

But the doors to the train shut completely and started moving before Tatsuya could piece together a sentence, cutting off all sound that could be heard from Mikoto's side of the door. As soon as the train was out of sight, Mikoto finally let the smile she had been holding back form on her lips, and raised a hand to her mouth as she emitted a laugh. She'd gotten him good, alright- the look on his face was priceless!

True- she still wasn't any closer to understanding just why he was trying so hard to get her acknowledgement, but the least she could do was give him some positive form of response for all his efforts. However, her trust wasn't something that was easy to earn, and she definitely wasn't trustful of Tatsuya just yet. Not to mention that there was also that apprehension she held towards him for that trait he had that reminded her so much of a particular team she used to know. She didn't quite know if she wanted to take the risk of befriending someone like him after what she'd gone through the last time...

But even so... maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a chance. It wasn't like she had anything to lose.

* * *

**AN: Romance-wise, the plot will be relatively slow- I'd like to keep things somewhat believeable, since they only just met. The slow start is mostly over for now though, so things will be lightening up gradually from here on! And yeahhh random updates are random. I am sorry, but it's my hols now so I'm just writing a lot xD**

**Thanks so much to Savage Kill for reviewing this fic as well as adding it to your favourites, SnowstormX for reviewing and following this fic, blackcat711 for adding this fic to your follows and favourites, and adgenelia, Eurwen de Vill and Evan Akira-kun for following this atory! Thanks so much for your patience and support, guys! ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC

***earlier that year***

_In the opinion of most of their classmates, the quiet Mikoto Shirato and the oftentimes equally quiet Wei Liu made quite a pair. Both weren't particularly inclined to speak much, and both were rather well acclimated to their studies. Their introverted natures led to them teaming up as partners for projects and the like- due to the fact that neither bothered to really seek out their own partners, hence being pushed together simply because they had no other option. There were those who assumed that the two of them were an item, but that was utter bull- at least, that's what both Liu and Shirato had agreed on during one of the rare times that they conversed about something besides schoolwork._

_Mikoto honestly wasn't interested in Liu that way- though she was quiet, she didn't particularly favour Liu's own silence. Liu had also made it clear that he shared the sentiment, and Mikoto was pretty sure he was the type that would prefer someone less cold, himself. While some- if placed in her position- would have considered this rude, Mikoto just took it as it was- she was used to her friend's (though the use of the term was somewhat debatable) demeanour. However, despite all this, it could easily be said that Liu was the closest companion Mikoto had in her class._

_Which was sort of sad, really, if Mikoto thought about it._

_"You're early, Shirato." Liu greeted as he stopped next to Mikoto, who was standing near the entrance of the school. It was the first day of the new school term, and there were loads of students milling around as they either searched for friends or sought out specific locations. Added to the number of stands set up and people hollering to recruit members into clubs, and you had a pretty hectic scene._

_It took all of Mikoto's strength not to turn on her heel and walk away- FAR away. She hated crowds._

_"You too, Liu-kun." Mikoto greeted, her chestnut hair bobbing slightly as she nodded her head._

_"Hm." Liu responded. "Class 2-A, I presume?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Good. It would have been troublesome if I was forced to seek a new lab partner I wasn't familiar with in my second year."_

_"It's nice to see you again too, Liu-kun." Mikoto muttered, her tone heavy with sarcasm._

_"Hm." Liu just took it as it was. Despite how blunt he could be, he was rather cool headed and didn't waste time responding to petty snarks._

_The Chinese boy returned his gaze back to the crowd before him, contemplating how he was going to navigate the path into the school building. However, he paused as his eyes fell upon something that caught his attention- or rather, someone. An extremely tall, violet-haired boy was standing amongst the crowd, snacking on a bag of potato chips. Definitely a newcomer; Liu would have remembered someone that stood out so prominently- in the literal and metaphorical sense. His unique hair colour sparked a memory in the recesses of Liu's mind, however, and he narrowed his dark eyes. As a basketball player, he was all too aware of just who this boy was..._

_"I have to go." Mikoto's voice suddenly announced, catching Liu's attention. He glanced back at his companion, whose expression was suddenly carefully neutral._

_"I beg your pardon?" Liu raised an inquisitive eyebrow. What was this, all of a sudden?_

_"Sorry, Liu-kun. I'll catch up to you in class." Mikoto responded, quickly walking around Liu and passing him by before he had a chance to respond. There longer path leading to the school field, which very few students used to get into the building. However, Mikoto was willing to use that path if it meant avoiding him- that giant with the violet hair..._

_As the girl walked out of earshot of her classmate, she allowed a bitter smirk to cross her face, emitting a low, hoarse bark of laughter at her luck._

_He was here. One of _them_ was actually here._

* * *

"You always eat alone during lunch?" Tatsuya asked as he walked up to the second-year sitting by her lonesome at the table. It was lunchtime, and Tatsuya had decided to stay in the canteen for lunch today instead of heading to his usual spot on the roof- mostly because he had noticed a familiar girl sitting at an empty table on her own.

"No. As you can see, I'm quite the socialite." Mikoto responded simply, taking a bite of her bento.

"You are?" Tatsuya blinked. He looked around the mess hall, expecting to see someone that he hadn't noticed heading towards the table. The girl gave a small sigh.

"I was being sarcastic, Himuro-kun." Mikoto explained simply, gesturing for the boy to sit down at her table if he wanted to.

"I keep forgetting you have a sense of humour." Tatsuya muttered as he slid into the seat opposite of the girl, placing the sandwich he had bought on the table. He couldn't help but feel somewhat sheepish for appearing so disbelieving of Mikoto's comment- though she didn't seem to be offended.

"It'll take some getting used to." She agreed, not really bothering to defend herself. The two of them then proceeded to eat their lunches in silence, neither one really wanting or needing to converse.

Tatsuya was actually somewhat glad for the girl's stoicism- he sometimes preferred a peaceful silence over mindless chatter. That was another reason he got on so well with Atsushi- the purple-haired boy was usually too preoccupied with eating to bother with conversation, and even when he wasn't eating, Atsushi wasn't exactly a man of many words.

But even so, Tatsuya did sort of wish that Mikoto would take the initiative to talk to him of her own accord. Even with his sharp instincts and intelligence, Tatsuya struggled to understand what went through her head, and it made it more difficult than usual for him to think up something to say. Casual talk was a good way to start, but to actually keep a conversation going between himself and Mikoto was a bit difficult- though he did notice that she was responding a bit more positively.

"Hey, Shirato-chan." Tatsuya commented nonchalantly, attempting to start a new conversation.

"Hm?" Shirato hummed, still chewing on her food.

"I know this is a long shot," Tatsuya began slowly. "But do you like Atsushi, by any chance?"

Mikoto choked. The girl quickly made a grab at her water canteen to wash her food down, while Tatsuya just watched on calmly as he continued to eat his sandwich, still waiting for an answer to his question.

"You mean, romantically?" She coughed out, her voice still a bit strained from choking on her rice. "As if. Guys like him don't appeal to me."

"Really?" Tatsuya inquired with a slight tilt of his head. "Then what kind of guys do appeal to you, then?"

"Isn't that somewhat personal?" Mikoto replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose I can understand." Tatsuya nodded as he thought over her words. "I wouldn't like it if someone I barely knew asked me that sort of question."

"I'm guessing that happens a lot for you."

"What makes you say that?" Tatsuya asked, puzzled at what she was implying.

"If I had a penny for every time I heard a fellow classmate talking about you, I could just drop out of high school and live the rest of my life without needing to worry about my finances." She replied, pointing her chopsticks at him for emphasis.

"Don't you think that's a bit of an exaggeration?"

"Have you seen the number of dirty looks I've gotten already simply because of the fact that you're sitting at my table?"

"Really?" Tatsuya started slightly, glancing around to see if Mikoto was correct. She might have been- given that he noticed some heads swivelling in the other direction as he looked around. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?"

"No. You can stay." The girl waved it off, though there was an almost mischievous gleam in her eyes as she looked back at him. "It's more fun to watch them fume silently since they know they can't do anything about it."

"You really don't sugercoat things, do you?" Tatsuya chuckled, pleasantly surprised to see the more lighthearted side of the girl. He then continued to eat his sandwich, not really expecting much of a response from her.

"I'm afraid not." She replied. "My honesty is what makes me most appealing to men chasing after my affections, after all. Wouldn't you agree, Himuro-kun?"

Tatsuya choked on his sandwich. Mikoto just took a sip of water from her canister, seemingly unconcerned about the fact that the boy in front of her was choking and smacking his chest repeatedly to cough it up. Himuro was too busy trying to free his airway to notice, but Mikoto allowed herself to give a small, satisfied smile.

This friendship was going to be very unhealthy for both of them if it continued in this 'tit for tat' manner.

* * *

Mikoto grunted as she pushed off the uneven parallel bars that day during gymnastics practice, finally finishing up her routine. The additional moves she had added to it had turned out relatively well- much better than she'd expected, actually. However, her flyaway dismount was off balance, and upon her landing she stumbled backwards before she regained her footing once more. She cursed quietly under her breath, frowning exasperatedly at her mess-up. Her dismounts always were a problem...

"You okay there?"

Mikoto turned around to see Hinata Matsuki standing before her, a slightly concerned expression on the captain's face. Hinata had a towel over her shoulder, and she was also handing one out to Mikoto, who accepted it gratefully.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Mikoto reassured, draping the towel over her neck.

"That was a pretty good routine." The blonde commented, placing her now free hand on her hip. "Maybe you could try for a double flyaway?"

"I already struggle with a normal one." Mikoto sighed as she wiped off her sweat. "Double would really be pushing my limits."

"True." Hinata mused, placing her hand on her chin in thought.

"Still got a lot to work on, I guess." The younger girl shrugged, heading towards the benches alongside Matsuki.

"I think I've almost got my routine down." Hinata commented, glancing curiously at Mikoto. "And just in time for the competition, too. How about you, Shirato-chan?"

"I'm not joining the competition." Mikoto answered as she sat on the seat, her friend and captain joining her. As she did so, her eyes glanced around the gym- nope, Tatsuya wasn't here today. That was a bit of a relief- it would be seem pretty scary if he had. Almost stalker-ish... was that what she seemed like when she watched the basketball team during their practices? She dearly hoped not- that wasn't her intention at all.

"Again." Hinata groaned, pouting at Mikoto as the second-year's blue eyes refocused back on her. "Why don't you ever take part in these things?"

"I'm busy." Mikoto explained.

"But apparently you've got enough time to hang around the basketball team during their practices." She shot Mikoto a knowing look, prompting the latter to raise a curious brow.

"How did you know?"

"Kenichi-kun was talking about it." Hinata responded, though she subtly averted her gaze. Mikoto just raised a brow at the third-year's suddenly flushed face, but didn't make a move to pursue it.

"Hm." Mikoto shrugged, retying her hair into a bun- she could feel a couple of strands coming loose. "I'm just not that interested, Matsuki-chan. It's too much effort."

"Guess it can't be helped then." Hinata relented. She had only known Mikoto since they both joined the same club, and she was always a bit disappointed that despite the potential she had, Mikoto didn't seem to want to work on it. She was only doing gymnastics for the sake of fun. However, the third-year paused before she continued with a teasing smile on her face. "Kenichi-kun also said Himuro-kun's taken an interest in you."

"It's not the kind of interest you're thinking about." Mikoto responded cautiously, shooting Hinata a vaguely exasperated look.

"Even so... this is Himuro-kun we're talking about." Hinata sang playfully, nudging Mikoto and shooting her a wink.

"Your point?"

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

"Oh yes. Most fortunate." Mikoto responded sarcastically.

"You know, any other girl would be ecstatic by now. Aren't you even a bit flattered to be receiving the attention of one of the most sought after guys in school?"

"I used to know a male model, Matsuki-chan. I've had my fair share of experience with 'sought after guys'." Mikoto retorted, the memory of the blonde model she used to know spurring a vague bitterness in the pits of her stomach.

"Are you telling me you don't think Himuro's attractive?" Hinata pushed, tilting her head at Mikoto. She decided she might as well ask directly- during the amount of time she had spent with the girl, she knew one thing for sure, and that was that Shirato never lied.

"...I never said that." Mikoto muttered slowly, her eyes flickering away briefly. Hinata grinned- that was all the indication she needed to know her real thoughts.

"So you do at least think he's good-looking!" Hinata accused victoriously.

"I never said that, either." Mikoto defended, causing Hinata's face to fall again.

"Well, what do you think, then?" Hinata challenged.

"I think I'm going to work on my beam routine now." Mikoto replied, standing up and heading towards the beam without sparing a moment for Hinata to respond.

"H-hey! Mikoto-chan!" Hinata stuttered out, thrown off-guard by Mikoto's sudden move. However, despite her call, Mikoto didn't even spare a glance back. Hinata just pouted in exasperation- she never knew what was going through that girl's head. "Oh come on!"

Mikoto's lips twitched upwards into a small smile as she heard Hinata's annoyed exclamation, and she gave a quiet giggle under her breath. It always was fun to tease her- she had some of the best reactions when her curiosity wasn't sated. As Mikoto hopped up onto the bar, she took a deep breath before beginning her cartwheels, letting her thoughts wander again. Unfortunately, because of her most recent conversation, her mind kept going back to a particular dark-haired, basketball-playing teen...

Sure, maybe she did think Tatsuya was good-looking. But that didn't mean she thought of him as attractive. She'd been around loads of basketball players before- all of whom weren't lacking in the looks department, either- and even then there had only been one that had caught her attention. So there was no reason for her to think any differently of Tatsuya. Yeah, he was pretty well-toned. So what? Lots of guys were. He was quite intelligent too, admittedly. She would give him credit for being quite a gentleman- he was very polite, which was sort of difficult to find in guys thses days. But that hair! It was always in his face, how did he even see properly? Not to mention that it blocked view of one of his eyes- those ash-coloured, mysterious... captivating... gorgeous eyes...

...

Okay, fine. He was hot. So sue her for thinking that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

_"What the hell were you guys thinking?!" Mikoto yelled as she confronted Daiki Aomine in his room- the latter standing almost lethargically before her. She had just stormed into his room like nobody's business- given who she was to him, his parents had just let her head right on in- and he was pretty annoyed by the whole thing._

_"I don't get what the big fuss is about." He drawled, absently picking his ear with his pinky. "It was just another match."_

_"'Just another match'?!" Mikoto repeated disbelievingly, her eyes glittering with venom. "Are you kidding me?! Did you see what you did?"_

_"If they were too weak to hold their own, then it's their problem." Daiki responded coldly, meeting her gaze evenly. "The least they could have done was put up a proper fi-"_

_SMACK!_

_Daiki's head snapped to the left, his eyes widening as he took a moment to register what had just happened. When his brain finally kicked in again, he realized that his cheek felt really sore- the skin there was probably reddening, judging from the pain he felt. He reached up to touch his cheek, before he turned back to face Mikoto, his eyes widened slightly in stunned shock._

_She'd slapped him._

_"Don't give me that crap." Mikoto growled, barely able to stop her voice from shaking as she lowered her raised hand. "They fought hard. They fought so damn hard. They gave it all they had, and you guys just toyed with them. The least you could have done was give them some semblance of respect."_

_Here, Mikoto's voice started to shake slightly, her tone becoming almost watery as she finished her rant._

_"Did you even see what you did to them? To Tetsuya-kun?" She asked, looking pleadingly up at the boy she had known for years. She remembered when he had been so kind and happy- always wearing that bright grin of his that reminded her of the sun. She had known that boy- grown up with him. Laughed with him. Shared her stories and had him confide in her in return. But now..._

_Standing before her was someone who was nothing like that boy. And his response only confirmed just how different- how distant- he was now._

_"So what?" Daiki responded monotonously, his expression returning back to that lazy, uncaring mask he always wore. His answer seemed to stun Mikoto, whose expression changed into one that was a mix of confusion and hurt. Despite the fact that she had just slapped him, he wouldn't- couldn't- bring himself to even think about raising his own hand against her. For one, he had his own set of morals and rules despite his harsh tendencies- one of which was that he would never touch a girl. Besides, she was still someone dear to him..._

_However, Daiki was suddenly thrown off guard when Mikoto lowered her head... and started laughing. It was low and hoarse- it sounded more like sobbing than anything else- but she was clutching her stomach and laughing. Even he was too stunned to respond as he kept staring at the girl, who was slowly recovering from her bout of hysterics. As she glanced back up at him, her blue eyes were resentful as she smirked at him._

_"I don't even know who you are anymore, Daiki."_

* * *

"Say, did any of you catch that match last night?" Kenichi asked casually as he and the rest of his teammates headed out of the locker rooms. It was time for their usual Tuesday practice, and everyone was here- as expected.

"No. But the Heatles probably wiped the floor with their opponent." Kensuke scoffed, his tone as snarky as ever.

"It was barely a match. The outcome was inevitable." Liu added his input as they strolled onto the court.

"Liu has a point. It was a pretty obvious match." Tatsuya commented. Atsushi just hummed idly in response- he never really cared much for watching basketball matches. In fact, he didn't even care all that much for his own playing, so why would he waste time watching other people do so?

"I'll say."

"Hey, you lot. Gather around." Coach Araki called out, her voice commanding. The members of the basketball team obediently followed her orders, and the coach crossed her arms seriously as she addressed them. "As you all know, the Interhigh is coming. This competition is not only the first major tournament of the year, but only the top eight in this competition qualify for a place in the Winter Cup." The coach's dark eyes darted to each and every one of her boys' faces, making sure that her message was heard loud and clear. "I expect that you all will train hard for this competition. Simple qualification won't be enough- you will climb to the top. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" They all responded. They didn't really need much motivation to actually heed those orders- all of them were eager to win and prove their worth.

"Good." Masako nodded, before she turned around and picked up a laminated sheet of paper from the bench behind her. She held it up so that all the members of the team could see it as she explained. "This is the schedule we'll be using up until the competition. Be sure to attend the extra practices." Here, her expression darkened, and she glared at her team. "Those who are absent and fail to deliver a proper excuse will suffer the consequences."

That was enough to make sure that no one would miss out on even one practice session. There was no way any of them wanted to incur the coach's wrath- the woman was frightening when enraged.

"So, which schools are the biggest threats in this tournament?" Tatsuya inquired curiously. As a recently transferred student, he had close to no knowledge whatsoever on the local teams.

"Good question, Himuro." Coach Araki nodded, picking up yet another sheet of paper from the bench. This one was much bigger than the last, and there were the names of many schools scrawled over it, some of which were highlighted in different colours. "These are all the schools participating in the Interhigh. Those highlighted in blue are the ones that you need to look out for."

"What about those highlighted in green?" Tatsuya asked. There were only five schools on the list that were highlighted in such a manner.

"Those," Coach Araki explained, her tone solemn. "Are the schools which have accepted a former member of the Generation of Miracles into their team." That was enough to make everyone pay close attention- this year was going to be the first year that the Miracles would be competing in high school tournaments, so they could not afford to slack off. "With these schools, don't take any risks. Destroy them."

"Got it." Kenichi grinned- an uncharacteristically vicious look on his face as he thought of going against the Miracles. The best of the best, supposedly; facing off against them would undoubtedly result in a fantastic match. The captain then turned to the tallest member of the team, raising an eyebrow. "Generation of Miracles, huh? So, Murasakibara- looks like you might be facing off against some of your old buddies during this tournament."

"Maybe." Atsushi shrugged nonchalantly, thought there seemed to be a more fiery expression in his violet eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'll crush them."

"Nice to see you motivated, Murasakibara." Kensuke snorted. It wasn't a complete joke- Atsushi could get pretty serious in a match.

"And what of this 'Seirin'?" Liu asked. That was a name he hadn't really noticed when he'd played in the Interhigh last year.

"They are a relatively new team. They don't seem like much, but from what I have gathered, they have managed to beat Kaijo in a practice match." Araki elaborated. "Best not to let our guards down."

The coach then pointed to the next school highlighted in green, expanding further on the details of the major threats in the competition. "Rakuzan is the one you need to take the most caution with. Not only have they recruited a Miracle, they have also recruited three of the five Uncrowned Kings. They are dangerous- make sure you're ready to face them when the time comes."

"A Miracle as well as the Kings, huh." Kensuke mumbled, sighing. "We're doomed."

"Shuutoku and Kaijo have quite the sturdy team as well- don't go easy on them." Coach Araki continued, choosing to ignore Fukui's comment. "Touou High is yet another school that has only just recently gotten a name for itself. Apparently, they have managed to recruit several national players in addition to the ace of the Miracles."

As she finished her elaboration, the coach finally put down the sheet of paper, staring evenly at the members of her team. "Despite all these odds, however, I still expect you all to perform in this tournament." Her gaze moved to Tatsuya and Atsushi as she addressed them directly. "You two are our double ace team. Do not fail us."

"Yes." "Yeah." The two boys responded in unison. Despite their seemingly casual demeanours about the whole thing, they were actually feeling pretty riled up about this whole thing. Just hearing about the tough opponents they were going to face was enough to get their blood pumping.

"All these are your former teammates, Atsushi?" Tatsuya asked, turning towards his tall companion.

"Yeah." Atsushi responded evenly. He remembered all too well the promise he had made with his old teammates in middle school- it looked like it would soon be time to see it through, then.

"Hm..." Tatsuya mused thoughtfully, his hand unconsciously reaching upwards to twirl the ring hanging around the chain on his neck. Although it was barely noticeable, Himuro's lips twitched slightly at the edges as he fought off an excited smile. "They all sound tough. I look forward to facing them."

...

Sitting in her usual spot on the rows of benches in the gymnasium, Mikoto Shirato's expression was carefully blank as she fiddled with the thin leather band on her wrist. It wasn't an impressive thing, really, and not many noticed it. The girl's blue eyes stared wistfully at the band, her fingers lightly tracing over the swirling patterns carved into the accessory. Coach Araki had just finished briefing the Yosen basketball team on the opponents of their match, and they all seemed far too eager to practice now. All the names of the schools were very prominent due to the players they had, but one in particular had stuck in Mikoto's head...

"Touou High..."

* * *

**-x-x-x-**

**6:40pm**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**Recipient: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**'Hey, it's been a while. Heard your school is entering the Interhigh? How are you progressing?'**

**-x-x-x-**

**6:45pm**

**Sender: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**'Please do not worry, Shirato-san. Seirin is strong; we can hold our own against Touou.'**

**-x-x-x-**

**6:47pm**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**Recipient: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**'I never said anything about Touou.'**

**-x-x-x-**

**6:49 p.m.**

**Sender: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**'There is no other reason for you to ask.'**

**-x-x-x-**

**6:53pm**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**Recipient: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**'Fair enough. Say, how about we meet up the next time I head down to Tokyo? What's say we grab a milkshake- just for old time's sake? You could bring a friend too, if you want.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6:57pm**

**Sender: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**'That would be nice. But I'm not sure if you would like it if I were to bring one of my teammates.'**

**-x-x-x-**

**7:01pm**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**Recipient: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**'I don't mind! How bad can it be?'**

**-x-x-x-**

* * *

"This is bad. This is very, very bad." Mikoto mumbled to herself as she fell into her seat in next to Liu, who was simply going through his notes as they waited for their homeroom teacher to enter. Mikoto had just returned from a trip to the faculty office, having been called there by their English teacher- Mrs Matsumoto.

"What bothers you?" Liu asked idly. Though he wasn't really all that interested in Shirato's affairs, he was a bit curious to see what had gotten her in such a despaired state.

"Matsumoto-sensei just assigned me to tutor someone." Mikoto replied, her words barely audible as she buried her face into her arms, which were crossed over the table.

"I do not see the problem. This is a regular assignment for the students of our rank, is it not?" Liu responded. It wasn't uncommon for seniors to be assigned to assist the younger students- especially when they did as well in their studies as he and Mikoto did.

"That's not it. It's who I'm tutoring."

"And who would that be?"

Mikoto just handed the paper Mrs Matsumoto had given her, not even bothering nor having the will to say anything. Liu glanced over it briefly- just the usual official greetings, praise for Mikoto's results, etcetera etcetera-

Oh.

The student she had been assigned to was none other than Atsushi Murasakibara.

"...I see." Liu responded, handing the paper back to Mikoto, who took it back without even looking back up. "However, the arrangement is logical- given your efficiency at the subject... and his deficiency in turn."

"How am I supposed to tutor someone like him?" Mikoto despaired, finally sitting up straight again as she pointed at the piece of paper in her hand. She had only ever offered guidance to those of her same age or capability- not to insult Atsushi, but Mikoto honestly questioned if he fit the second criteria.

"Himuro could offer his help." Liu suggested. That piqued Mikoto's interest.

"Huh?"

"Murasakibara's grades are passable. That is the only reason he is still allowed to play." Liu responded simply, turning another page in his notes casually. He was referring to the requirements each student had to follow in order to stay on a particular sports team- and that was to ensure that their main subjects did not drop below the average passing mark. "Himuro occasionally offers his assistance to him as well. Perhaps he could aid you."

"That's true... and he's from the States, too." Mikoto mused, tapping her chin in thought. As an exchange student from a Western country, Tatsuya's ability when it came to the English language had to be good. That gave Mikoto hope- Tatsuya was also really well acquainted with Atsushi too; who better to know the most effective methods to teach him? "This might not be a completely hopeless case."

"Or it could result in utter failure, in which case it would be on your head, Shirato." Liu corrected. Mikoto's brow twitched.

"As optimistic as ever I see, Liu-kun."

"Hm."

* * *

"I'm surprised you actually go elsewhere besides the cafeteria during break." Tatsuya commented as he walked up the stairs, leading Shirato to the roof of the school. It was now recess, and when he'd joined up with Mikoto, she had- much to his surprise- requested to see Atsushi after explaining the situation. The two had finished up their lunches rather quickly, and were now headed towards where Atsushi normally spent his break.

"Is it that big of a surprise?" She asked.

"I apologise." Tatsuya replied, not meaning to offend her. As they reached the top of the steps, he pushed open the door to Mikoto and held it open, waiting for Mikoto to walk through first before he followed suit. The rooftop of the school was rather clean and well-maintained, and the view of the city through the fence surrounding the compound was stunning from up here. The tall, purple-haired boy sitting at a corner was impossible to miss, and he raised a brow when he saw the two newcomers approaching.

"Muro-chin. Not-girlfriend" Atsushi greeted through a mouthful of chips. Mikoto's eye twitched when she heard that, but Tatsuya just seemed unfazed.

"Shirato-chan wanted to talk to you." He explained, sitting down on the ground near Atsushi. He then patted the ground beside him, gesturing for Mikoto to sit down. The girl complied, but at a noticeably further distance from where he had gestured.

"Matsumoto-sensei probably told you that I was assigned to teach you." Mikoto continued, glancing up at Atsushi- even when he was hunched over slightly while he sat, he still towered over her. "Do you want to discuss our studying schedule?"

"Studies are boring." Atsushi shrugged, emptying out his bag of potato chips. He then reached into his pocket, drawing out a candy bar to continue his snacking.

"If you don't pass your next English test, my head is on the chopping block." Mikoto explained patiently, and if it wasn't Tatsuya's imagination, her eye seemed to be twitching. "And I will die before I allow myself to slip in any grade."

"You're rather studious, aren't you?" Tatsuya commented.

"Prissy." Atsushi mumbled out as well.

Tatsuya wondered if Mikoto was going into fits, if the way her eye was twitching was any indication.

"Be quiet." She snapped, before she reigned in her annoyance and continued in a calmer tone. "Can we agree to some sort of schedule?"

"Whatever." Atsushi shrugged, uncaring. Tatsuya decided to intervene before Mikoto could entertain the idea of strangling the boy.

"Well, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are out because of basketball practice- but you probably already know that. And you have gymnastics practice on Mondays and Fridays, so that leaves Wednesdays and Sundays free."

"But your club's extra practices will occupy your Wednesdays and Fridays, right?" Mikoto asked. "So the most convenient day would only be Sunday." She looked back at Atsushi as she continued. "Is that alright with you, Murasakibara-kun?"

"Yeah. It'll do." Atsushi replied nonchalantly, finishing up his candy bar. He seemed a bit disappointed at that, and decided to pay a bit more attention now since there was nothing else he had on him to eat at the moment.

"Okay, so..." Mikoto thought about it for a moment. "We can meet up around noon or so for the tutoring. Maybe we could do it outside somewhere, or at our homes. Where would you prefer?"

"My house." Atsushi responded. He preferred it if he could stay at home instead of moving around- least of all for studies.

"Then your home address, please." Mikoto requested, handing him her phone to type out in her notes. The boy did as he was asked before handing it back to the girl, who nodded when she read the address. "Yeah. This should do. I'll let you know when I've planned out the dates for our sessions."

"Mm." Atsushi hummed- he really seemed like he couldn't care less. The bell rang just then, signalling the end of recess, and Mikoto stood up.

"I'll see you two around." Mikoto said, nodding towards the two boys. "Thanks again, Himuro-kun."

"Right. We'll see you, Shirato-chan." Tatsuya replied, waving at the girl as she made her leave. He made to stand up as well, but a call from Atsushi stopped him just as he got to his feet.

"Hey, Muro-chin."

"Hm?" Tatsuya looked back at his friend. Atsushi was staring in the direction where Shirato had headed, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why do you think she hates me so much?" Atsushi inquired, his eyes flickering back towards Tatsuya. That made him blink in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"Not-girlfriend." Atsushi elaborated, pointing at the door which Mikoto had gone through. "She hates me."

"Why would you say that?"

"The way she looks at me." Atsushu shrugged, standing up as well. Tatsuya mulled over what that as the two of them headed towards the staircase, intending to head back to their classes.

"I don't think she hates you, Atsushi." Tatsuya finally spoke up after thinking over it for a while. "Maybe she's just annoyed that you keep calling her that."

"Maybe." Atsushi responded, though he didn't seem too convinced.

Tatsuya didn't blame him. Even he didn't believe his own words.

* * *

The walk towards the train stop that evening continued in a relative silence, neither Tatsuya nor Mikoto finding the need to converse too much. The conversation he'd had with Murasakibara still stuck in his head, and Tatsuya was thinking of all the logical explanations for Mikoto's attitude towards Atsushi. Though it was hardly noticeable, she definitely seemed a bit colder towards Atsushi than she was with him- as if she was forcing herself to remain polite towards the first-year. It was perplexing, to say the least, and Tatsuya had no idea what the reasoning behind that was. He definitely couldn't ask her directly about it, and since that was all he could think about right then, he couldn't really start a conversation with her...

So, Tatsuya found himself surprised by Mikoto for the second time that day, when she broke the silence as they both stood on the waiting platform.

"Himuro-kun?" She called out, her voice neutral. Tatsuya glanced over at her in vague curiosity, and saw that Mikoto was staring straight ahead as she spoke, not meeting his eye.

"What is it?" He inquired. This was peculiar- normally she was confident enough to meet his gaze. What suddenly had her so hesitant?

"Is basketball fun to you?" She asked, unexpectedly. Tatsuya was taken aback at that for a moment, but responded quickly enough.

"Yeah. Of course it is." He replied. Though he did bear a small semblance of resentment towards the sport, he couldn't deny his passion for the game.

"So you do like playing, then?" Mikoto questioned, finally looking back up at Tatsuya. Was it just him, or did she sound... hopeful?

"Definitely." He confirmed. What was with the onslaught of questions all of a sudden?

"Why is that?" Mikoto asked. Tatsuya thought about that for a moment before he answered.

"It's the rush you feel when playing, you know?" Tatsuya's expression became wistful as he spoke of the sport he loved. "The exhilaration, the thrill... it's amazing."

"Then... you'd like to be the best there is at basketball, right?" Another unexpected question.

"Obviously." Tatsuya replied. The question made him a bit tense, however- he was reminded all too much of his former friend in the States, and how his old coach had declared that Tatsuya still wasn't her best student, despite how hard he tried. Once again, his hand went to the chain around his neck, only this time he clenched it in his grip almost bitterly.

"...What would you do if you were the best?" Mikoto asked once more after a brief pause. Her expression was carefully guarded, as if she was worried about the answer she would receive.

"Hm?"

"If you really were the best at basketball... what would you do then?" Mikoto repeated. That got Tatsuya thinking- the best at basketball? What would that be like? To be able to give it his all, and to stand above the rest as he played, to never lose... it would be great.

But he could never achieve such a thing. It wasn't pessimism- it was a fact, and he knew it well.

"I don't know." Tatsuya shrugged in an attempt to seem nonchalant, but there was a dark expression in his eyes. "I'm not the best anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"Himuro-kun..." Mikoto trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Ah, there's my train." Tatsuya commented casually, gesturing to the train that was approaching- he didn't want to be rude, but for once he really didn't want to talk much longer with Mikoto right now. "It's been nice talking to you, Shirato-chan. I guess I'll see you around."

She didn't respond, but Tatsuya didn't mind. His mood had dampened slightly as well, and he barely even glanced back as he got onto the train. However, a comment that fell from Mikoto's lips caught his attention once more.

"...You don't have to be the best."

"What?" Tatsuya started, turning around again. Mikoto met his gaze evenly this time, her expression solemn.

"If you no longer see the joy in playing, being the best is meaningless. You only end up hurting yourself... and the ones who care for you." She responded, her voice almost sad despite the serious look on her face.

Tatsuya didn't get to answer that- the doors of the train closed before he could even think of a proper response.

* * *

**AN: **The earlier chapters have been edited slightly due to a careless mistake on my part. Please note that Mikoto is the same age as Liu and Himuro (17), while Fukui and Okamura are 18, therefore Mikoto is not classmates with Fukui- he is her senior. Himuro and Shirato are thus the same age, and she is not his senior, so I have changed the suffix he addresses her with. There is no excuse for my carelessness, and I can only ask that ya'll forgive me (thanks so much to PhoenixRage92 for pointing this out. I owe you lots ;D)

As usual, many thanks to Savage Kill and Rhythm15 for reviewing, Jikola and AmIValid for adding this ficto your follows and favourites, WeIrDcHeeseCAkelAzypAnse (loving that username btw xD) and Tsuna De Vongola Decimo for following this fic, as well as ciarra halle and LiLaoRyo704 for favouriting this story! You all are awesome xD


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

"So let me get this straight," Tatsuya concluded, raising an eyebrow at Mikoto in vague disbelief as he sat across the cafeteria table from her. "You're alright when it comes to dealing with cockroaches and spiders, but you're terrified of hamsters?"

"I'm not 'terrified'." She corrected as she took another bite of her bento. "I just dislike them."

"What's your reason for that?"

"Got bitten by one as a kid. They're detestable rodents."

"You know, you're pretty much destroying every inital assumption I had of you." Tatsuya responded, a small smile tugging at his lips. Though she looked like nothing out of the ordinary, Mikoto was far from that, it would seem. Along with her dislike for hamsters, so far he had found out that she had a dog named Toshi, was terrible at both shogi and chess, and was a fan of martial arts. He couldn't really associate the prim and proper image she had with even one of these traits- except maybe the dog one, but he would have thought she was more of a cat person.

"And what would these 'initial assumptions' be?"

"Well for one, you're definitely not feminine."

"I am offended." Mikoto mumbled, sighing as she unconsciously patted the top of her head to make sure her hair was still in order.

"One thing's for sure, though- you're pretty obsessed with neatness." Tatsuya commented idly.

"I'm not obsessed." Mikoto retorted. He noticed that she made sure to lower her hand from her head as she did so, though.

"OCD, perhaps?" Tatsuya teased, an amused expression in his grey eyes. Mikoto shot him an exasperated look, but before she could make an attempt at a retort...

"Hey, Muro-chin. Not-girlfriend."

The relaxed drawl of Atsushi's voice cut Mikoto off as she was about to make her reply, and the two teens looked up to see the violet-haired underclassmen towering over them as he stood at the table with a tray (that was piled up with a mountain of food, as expected) in his hands.

"I do have a name, Murasakibara-kun." Mikoto replied tartly, clearly not doing much to conceal her dislike. Unfortunately for her, Atsushi could be quite thick-skinned as well as stubborn, and didn't quite get the message.

"Muro-chin, can I sit here?" He asked, glancing at the raven-haired boy who also sat at the table.

"Go ahead." Tatsuya shrugged, though his eyes flickered back over to Mikoto to observe her reaction. As expected, the girl seemed to be surprised, before a hint of annoyance flashed in her blue eyes.

"Shouldn't I be the one you ask permission for before you sit...?" She deadpanned. She'd been the one who had sat here first, after all...

"Well, I'm sure the rest of your company won't mind." Tatsuya responded, gesturing to the the mostly empty table.

"Not-girlfriend's eye is funny." Murasakibara commented casually as he began work on his lunch, observing Mikoto's eye as it began to twitch. The girl immediately forced her nerves to halt the action, and she placed her bento down before rubbing her temples as she sighed.

"Murasakibara-kun, please address me by something other than that." She requested coolly, trying to remain noncommittal.

"Nope." Atsushi responded, chewing on his pudding.

"Don't mind it too much- Atsushi does it all the time." Tatsuya interjected- sensing the girl's ire. Mikoto just shot him another annoyed look.

"That's a lie and you know it." She combated, knowing full well that it was. Tatsuya gave her an apologetic glance when she said that, not bothering to deny it.

"Hey, Himuro, Murasakibara. Got room for two more?" Kenichi's voice suddenly called out, catching their attentions once more. The Yosen basketball team's captain was heading towards them, waving good-naturedly while he was accompanied by Kensuke.

"Ah, Fukui. Okamura." Tatsuya greeted pleasantly. "Nice to see you here."

"Naturally." Kensuke scoffed, tossing up the sandwich he held in his hand and catching it in a nonchalant manner as it fell. "Now move over."

"I'll shift over there." Tatsuya responded, moving over to Mikoto's side of the table as the two third-years sat down next to Atsushi. Kenichi was hauling a tray full of food that almost rivalled Atsushi's in bulk, and barely hesitated to begin on his lunch as well.

"H-hey. Just Murasakibara-kun was okay, but this is sort of pushing it." Mikoto protested, though the nervous tone in her voice indicated that she knew her protests would go unheeded, anyway.

"You seem to have attracted quite the crowd, Shirato." A familiar Chinese boy also joined the table, sliding into the seat next to Tatsuya casually. Liu barely even bothered to greet anyone as he opened up his own bento to eat- he never was one to speak too much.

"It wasn't of my own accord, Liu-kun." Mikoto sighed, before she started as she registered that Liu was sitting at her table too. "And who gave you permission to sit here?"

"If the others could join you here, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to do the same." Liu responded simply, before he proceeded to eat his lunch in silence. Tatsuya knew that was all the explanation he was going to offer, and he could almost feel Mikoto repressing a groan.

"I hope you don't mind this, Shirato-san. But there isn't any other table available." Kenichi apologised sincerely, halting his eating briefly to address Mikoto. The girl seemed a bit surprised- it looked like she hadn't really expected anyone to apologise, let alone the basketball team's captain. But then again, Kenichi was one one of the nicer members on the team.

"No. That's alright." She waved it off. "But I appreciate the apology, Okamura-senpai."

"That's good." Kenichi nodded politely, offering her a small smile. The girl hesitantly returned it, and it would have been fine if it had ended at that...

"Wow, that's got to be the most positive response you've gotten from a girl, Okamura. There's hope yet." Kensuke commented, his tone sarcastic.

And the moment of peace was destroyed.

"Do you have to do that all the time?" Kenichi shot back, a vein popping in his forehead. Kensuke just snorted and ignored Kenichi's glare, offering another snide remark that caused him to exclaim again in annoyance. Atsushi was soundlessly vacuuming up his food at a ridiculous speed, while Liu just muttered something in Chinese- something that probably went along the lines of "I'm surrounded by morons." or maybe even "Get me out of this country."

"Remind me how this happened, again?" Mikoto turned towareds Tatsuya once more, who was feeling increasingly amused at the frustration this whole scene was causing her. The boy just gave a small chuckle at her question, returning to his lunch.

"If you befriend one of us, I guess you get the whole set."

"I want a refund."

"Sorry, no returns. Store policy."

"Oh, shove off."

* * *

Mikoto was pulling on her sneakers in the locker room of the gymnastics club after practice, having changed out of the usual leotard that all the gymnasts used. Several of the other gymnasts were milling around the locker room as well, but Mikoto wasn't particularly interested in conversing with them. Hinata had called in sick today, so that left Mikoto pretty much alone for the day. It wasn't a big deal, though- she was used to the silence...

A beeping coming from her bag that she recognized as her message alert tone caught Mikoto's attention, and she reached into her bagpack to dig around for it. Unlocking the screen, she raised a brow upon reading the latest message.

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Satsuki Momoi**

**'Miko-chan, r u coming down to Tokyo 4 d Interhigh?'**

**-x-x-x-**

Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed together in thought as the question suddenly blanked out her mind. That was a question she hadn't really give much thought to. She had to admit that the idea had crossed her mind once or twice, but what was the point of going, really? She'd probably have to stay over at his place, and then she would have to deal with seeing his bored, dispassionate expression every time he came home from a match- the mere thought of having to deal with that almost made her feel sick. Even if Tetsuya was going to enter the Interhigh as well, she still had her doubts about his team's chances at victory. He had told her he'd found a new 'light', but would that really be good enough to stop Daiki? The last thing she wanted to see was the sight of Tetsuya's face, torn by despair and misery- just like all of Daiki's other opponents.

Not Tetsuya. Anyone but Tetsuya.

Biting her lip, Mikoto zipped up her bagpack, hefted it over her shoulder and exited the locker rooms. As she did so, she paused briefly in the hallway for a moment, staring at her phone in contemplation. As far as she was concerned, there weren't really any benefits for her if she went to watch tournament, except maybe...

_"You should come watch our next match. Maybe it'll be good for your research or whatever it is you're doing."_

_"...That's true. I'd actually like to see how you fare on the court, Himuro-kun."_

Finally, Mikoto just gave a deep sigh, quickly typing out a response and sending it to Satsuki-chan before shoving her phone into her pocket. She didn't want to think about this too long- she would never get any sleep tonight if she did.

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**'I don't know. But I might.'**

**-x-x-x-**

* * *

The moment she walked out of the school building, Mikoto was greeted with the sight of a familiar ebony-haired teen standing at the school gates, casually leaning against one of the pillars. As she approached his position, Tatsuya glanced up from where he'd previously been staring off into the distance, shooting her one of his trademark half-smiles.

"Hey." He greeted nonchalantly, pushing off the pillar as he fell into step next to her. The walk to the train station from Yosen was quite near, actually- the students only needed to walk out onto the main road, cross over the overhead bridge, and voilà- train station right in front of them. Quite convenient, Mikoto had to admit. "How'd practice go?"

"Alright." Mikoto shrugged, though she shot him a curious glance. "I thought you would have headed home by now."

"Yeah, well..." Tatsuya shrugged, though he seemed a bit sheepish. "I figured I owed you an apology."

"Hm?"

"That day, after we uh, discussed the study schedule with Atsushi." He explained, meeting Mikoto's eye apologetically. "I was a bit rude to you. I would like to apologize."

"You were rude?" Mikoto repeated, her tone disbelieving. She knew what he was referring to- that day at the train station, he had been a bit off-handed and albeit curt, but she highly doubted it could be considered rude. If someone had treaded onto a sensitive topic for her- the way her question obviously had been with him that day- she would have been a lot more defensive than that.

"Sort of."

"The fact that I didn't even notice is a good indicator of your control over your mannerisms. Just relax." Mikoto replied, instinctively smacking Tatsuya on the back. When she realised what she just did- along with the startled look that crossed the boy's face and the slight stumble in his step that her hard smack had caused- she quickly withdrew her hand, hiding her flushed face with a faked cough into her hand. "You are forgiven." She stated simply, trying to regain her composure. She could barely remember the last time she'd been comfortable enough around someone to willingly initiate physical contact like that- it was embarrassing, and extremely out of character...

However, Tatsuya just raised a brow at her, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"That's a relief. And I have to say, you've got a pretty good arm." He commented as he and Mikoto climbed up the stairs to the overhead bridge, the former restraining an amused smirk at the girl's attempts to hide her reddening face.r.

As the two teens reached the train station, Tatsuya glanced up at the screen that displayed the times of arrival and departure of the trains, idly toying with the ring hanging from the chain on his neck as he did so. It appeared to be a habit that he seemed to have acquired from possessing it for so long.

"You're always wearing that." Mikoto commented suddenly, drawing Tatsuya's attention to her. Her eyes were fixed on his hand, which was mechanically turning the ring over and over.

"Hm?" He lifted up the band of silver on his chain to offer a better view of the accessory. "This?"

"Yeah. You're always fidgeting with it whenever you get all quiet." Mikoto nodded, her eyes never leaving the plain, silver ring. Almost unconsciously, her own hand went to the leather band on her wrist, her fingers trailing lightly over the patterns carved into it.

"Well, you've been keeping a pretty close eye on me." Tatsuya responded, a hint of teasing in his voice. His eyes flickered briefly over to the band on Mikoto's own wrist, but his attention refocused back on her expression just as quickly, so that she didn't notice.

"Don't flatter yourself." Mikoto scoffed, turning her head away. She didn't know why she had made that statement out of the blue, but the way Himuro fiddled with his ring just reminded her of her own accessory...

"...It has some sentimental value to me." Tatsuya's voice broke Mikoto out of her reverie, and she cast a vaguely surprised look back up at her companion- she hadn't been expecting a response. The boy had a somewhat distant expression in his eyes as he stared at the ring in his grasp, as if recalling an old memory. "From a... friend I used to have back in the States."

"...I see." Mikoto murmured, turning away once more. She'd already made the mistake of treading onto sensitive topics with Himuro; she wasn't too eager to do it again. Besides, she could understand not wanting to talk about old friends from her own past.

"You're not going to ask to know more?" Tatsuya inquired, tilting his head in surprise at Mikoto's compliance. Most people would have asked for an elaboration of some sort...

"It seems personal to you." Mikoto shrugged. "If you want to talk about it, you can tell me yourself without me needing to ask. As a friend, I have to be able to trust your judgement."

After a few beats of silence, during which Mikoto wondered if that look on Tatsuya's face was one of confusion or surprise- she couldn't tell; the boy had mastered his poker face- a small smile finally appeared on his lips.

"...Heh." Tatsuya shut his eyes briefly as he glanced away, though the small smile never left his face. "You've got some pretty unique way of looking at things."

"It's just logic." Mikoto shuffled her feet uncomfortably, trying not to seem flustered. He was giving out a lot of random praises today...

"...My friend was a bit like you." Tatsuya spoke up after a moment of contemplation, opening his eyes again as he turned to Mikoto. "He didn't know quite how to interact with people, so I kind of gave him a hand. Got him out of his shell, you could say."

"Poor fellow." Mikoto mumbled under her breath. To add to her dismay, Tatsuya caught the comment and gave a short bark of laughter.

"Of course, he wasn't quite as pretty as you." He said lightly, only half-joking as he put for his statement.

"I would feel terrible for him if he did." Mikoto scoffed. Tatsuya's lips twitched again at how she brushed off his comment so easily, before returning to the topic at hand.

"We were pretty close. Got matching rings back then to symbolise our 'brotherhood', so to speak. So that's where this came from." He finished, idly flicking the ring and making it sway on its chain. As he said that, his eyes seemed to harden slightly, as if recalling a bitter memory.

"...I can understand hating someone close to you." Mikoto commented. Tatsuya started at that, and glanced over at her in vague surprise.

"You could tell just like that?" He inquired, raising a brow. Mikoto just nodded- he wasn't the only observant one around here.

"It shows in the way you speak." She responded, fidgeting once more with the band on her wrist- she never took it off, even during her gymnastics practices. "Being so careful, trying to seem calm about it... But the bitterness is there. In the end you can't wipe away that resentment, even if you know you want to keep them close."

Another moment of silence fell over the two teens, this one less comfortable than the last. Apparently, while both of them seemed able to keep their emotions in check for the most part, to have someone hit close to the mark when it came to their own deeply-buried feelings could make things a bit awkward. Mikoto gave a small sigh under her breath, wondering if she'd made a mistake in bringing this up.

"...Sorry." She murmured in apology. "I must seem like such a vengeful nutcase right now."

"No. I understand perfectly." Tatsuya replied- much to her surprise, he seemed less offhand this time compared to the last time she'd approached a topic like this. If anything, the look in his eye indicated that he could sympathise with what she was saying- and Mikoto didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. That thought was put to rest for her almost immediately, though, as the girl saw her train coming around on the tracks.

"That's my train." Mikoto announced, adjusting her bagpack on her shoulder as the train rounded the bend. "I'll see you, Himuro-kun."

Mikoto thought that was the end of it, but once again, she was thrown off-guard when Tatsuya suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder. Instinctively, she tensed up, her boundaries with human contact having been breached for the first time in a long while.

"Are you free this weekend, Shirato-chan?" He asked, not removing his hand from her shoulder- his grip wasn't harsh or tight, if anything it was almost... kind. Somehow, that reassured Mikoto, as her taut muscles seemed to relax slightly.

"What?" She asked, perplexed.

"I think we've found some common ground to work on." He replied, that half-smile of his gracing his features once more. "So how about it? We could hang out somewhere that's not school for once."

"Um..." Mikoto blinked in surprise for a moment, but didn't have time to think too long on it before she responded- her train was slowing down at the stop already. "I guess that would be okay?"

"Great." Tatsuya nodded in satisfaction, before he put forth another question. "I don't believe I've ever gotten your number?"

"That's because I haven't given it to you."

"And...?" He trailed off suggestively, raising an almost flirtatious eyebrow at Mikoto. The girl couldn't help it- she gave a laugh at his approach.

"Very smooth, Himuro-kun. I applaud you." She commended. Without much hesitation, she passed him her cellphone, allowing him to key in his number and give his own phone a missed call.

"Perfect." Tatsuya nodded in satisfaction, passing the phone back to Mikoto and offering her a slightly wider smile than before. "I'll let you know when and where to meet up. I'll see you around?"

"See you." Mikoto waved, before turning on her heel and dashing onto her train as quickly as she could- getting in just as the doors were closing. As she did so, she failed to conceal the smile that crossed her face- one of the few, sincere smiles she'd had in a long while.

Unbeknownst to her, that same smile was also spreading across Tatsuya's own face.

Perhaps this friendship wasn't all that unhealthy.

* * *

Mikoto gave a small yawn as she handled the register in her dad's mini market that same evening, resting her chin in her hand as she read through the book in her free one. Her dad had to head home for a while to grab something, leaving her alone here to man the register. While normally one would be concerned about leaving a girl alone to manage a store for a while, Mikoto wasn't concerned- she hadn't gine for years of karate lessons for nothing. That, and she had her faithful German Shepherd by her side- Toshi. Any robber that tried to mess with her would face a busload of pain if he dared.

As Mikoto idly scratched Toshi between his ears while he sat on the ground next to her seat, she blinked in surprise when she heard the sound of the entrance bell chiming. Business was slow today, so she hadn't really been expecting anyone...

"Irasshaimase!" Mikoto greeted as she put aside her book, all those years of basic etiquette kicking in automatically. What she didn't expect to see, however, was a tall boy with violet hair standing in the doorway, his equally vibrant-coloured eyes meeting her surprised gaze in vague lethargy. "Murasakibara-kun?"

"Not-girlfriend." The boy greeted in response, strolling into the store without offering so much as a glance back at the girl at the counter as he headed straight for the snack aisle.

"Still going with that name, huh..." Mikoto muttered to herself under her breath, before she regained her polite demeanour and cleared her throat. "I didn't think you would come here to shop."

"This store has the new mustard-flavoured chips." Atsushi hummed. Mikoto very nearly started at that- those chips were a pretty rare find, but they had only come in this afternoon! How the heck did he know they were here already?

_'Note to self: Don't underestimate the purple giant's ability to hunt food.'_ Mikoto scoffed quietly to herself, ducking her head as she petted Toshi again to hide her expression. She just waited patiently as Atsushi roamed the aisles, occasionally pulling out another pack of junk food to add to the growing pile in his arms. By the time he made it back to the counter to pay for his items, Mikoto couldn't help but stare at his hoard of unhealthy edibles.

"How do you even finance your food addiction...?" Mikoto mumbled under her breath, making sure the boy couldn't hear her- he wasn't paying attention anyway, since he seemed to be involved in a staring contest with Toshi. The dog's tail seemed to be wagging... oh man, did Toshi actually like this guy?

Mikoto gave a barely audible sigh under her breath, before she proceeded to silently check out each of the items he had placed at the counter and wince internally at the amount of junk food Atsushi was buying. He probably would have been diabetic by now if not for his height- which probably came with an extremely high metabolism. Lucky guy, able to eat so much without getting fat...

"Hey, not-girlfriend."

"Could you stop calling me that?" Mikoto asked. Her request was ignored- not that she hadn't expected that.

"Do this." Atsushi ordered, prompting her to look back up at hin curiously. The huge boy had furrowed his brows downwards into an aggressive look, his lips moving into... a very poor attempt at a smirk, maybe? It looked more like an awkward smile on him, though she had to admit- his angled eyebrows did give him a pretty intimidating look.

"What?" Mikoto deadpanned, not understanding what he was doing. Was he pulling faces at her?

"This." He mumbled out, struggling to maintain the peculiar expression he was pulling. "Do it."

"...Okay?" Mikoto said uncertainly, still extremely confused. But she complied to Atsushi's strange request anyway- it wouldn't be good if someone came into the store just to find the counter held up because some weird high-schooler wanted the cashier to pull a face. Mikoto's furrowed her eyebrows, and her lips twitched upwards into a smirk- not that she meant to brag, but she was sure she pulled it off a lot more successfully than he did. Atsushi then proceeded to tilt his head, scrutinising her face closely. Mikoto patiently retained that expression, waiting for him to finish... whatever it was he was doing.

...

She really wished he would quit staring already and let her expression return to normal. Her facial muscles were starting to hurt.

"...Mine-chin." He muttered, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Mikoto's expression went slack in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your eyes are Mine-chin's eyes." Atsushi responded, pointing at Mikoto accusingly.

Mikoto blinked once. Twice. And then realisation crossed her features.

The girl gave a long sigh, before leaning her elbow on the counter. She rested her chin in her hand, looking at Atsushi with an apathetic expression- there was no point trying to deny it, anyway. It looked like the gig was up.

"Well, Daiki will be ecstatic to know his old teammate remembers him." She responded blandly. She really should have guessed that he was onto something the moment he asked her to pull Daiki's trademark expression...

The boy's lips just curved upwards into a lazy, almost smug smile.

"I knew it~"

* * *

**AN: Dun dun dun. Yay, revelations! So the air of mystery surrounding our OC is lifting now, but all will be revealed next chapter. So see ya guys then!**

**Thank you ever so much to Savage Kill, Rhythm15 and PhoenixRage92 for reviewing, monettes for doing the above as well as following this fic, Agent Orenji, colouredred, xxbecca and ohmygodsun01 for adding this story to your favourites and follows, Kirino Tsuki for favouriting this story, as well as chrlnntv and Saskicheez for following this fic! Ya'll rule! ;D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

**Teiko Middle School, two years ago***

_"Hey, Daiki." Mikoto called out as she chased after the blue-haired boy running up the stairs. Said boy was taking the steps three at a time with his long strides, and she was struggling to keep up. "Slow down! You're running too fast!"_

_"You're just slow, Miko!" Daiki called back, his tone clearly indicating that he was wearing his usual bright grin. He had managed to convince her to follow him to the roof, and he seemed all too eager to get there as quickly as he could. "Hurry up!"_

_"Let's see you try to run up these stairs in a skirt- we'll see who's slow then." Mikoto retorted in exasperation, pulling at her black school skirt as she made sure it stayed in place. Even if she was wearing shorts underneath, she still didn't want anyone seeing more than they should._

_"Don't complain!" Daiki laughed as he reached the top of the stairs, glancing over at his cousin who was only just reaching the last flight. He shook his head and teasingly clicked his tongue at her slowness, before pushing through the doors to the rooftop and disappearing from sight. "Come on!"_

_"Showoff." Mikoto mumbled to herself, exhaling shortly. Really, Daiki knew he was quick on his feet- he was just trying to show that he was faster than she was. The girl straightened out her skirt and light-blue uniform top before she reached for the door, pushing it open and walking out into the sunlight. For a moment, the sunlight momentarily blinded her, and she had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes to the transition from the dark stairway to the bright rooftop. However, once she got a proper hold of her sight again..._

_"Surprise, Shirato-cchi!" The cheerful voice Mikoto recognized as belonging to Ryota Kise greeted her, the blonde model grinning cheerfully as he stood amongst four others- one of whom included Daiki, who stood in the middle of the group and held a round, chocolate frosted cake in his hands. Stuck into the cake were 6 candles- one big one and five small ones- all lit with the wax slowly melting away. Was this..._

_"Happy birthday, Shirato-san." Tetsuya Kuroko confirmed her suspicions, inclining his head towards Mikoto. A small smile of his own played on his lips as he observed her stunned expression- the surprise had worked, then._

_"You guys..." Mikoto trailed off for a moment, taking a moment to register everything. "That was what this was about?"_

_"Of course!" Satsuki Momoi tutted, bounding up to the older girl and grasping her hands as she swung them playfully. "Why else would we go through the trouble of getting you up here, Miko-chan?"_

_"As someone who has assisted the basketball team on numerous occasions, we deemed this celebration appropriate." Shintaro Midorima elaborated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The boy clutched a notebook in his free hand- probably one of his less peculiar lucky items of the day- as he addressed the senior, who served as the unofficial assistant-manager of the basketball team. Though Mikoto was only in charge of preparing the team's lunches and the like, she rarely showed her face- but that hadn't stopped her from getting friendly with some of the more approachable members of Teiko's basketball team in her spare time. In all honesty, Mikoto had mostly accepted the job out of obligation to save them from Satsuki's cooking. Not that the pink-haired girl was too offended- Daiki wasn't a very pretty beggar, and his desperate pleading would have convinced anyone to take the job._

_"We were unable to get Murasakibara-kun and Akashi-kun to join us, unfortunately." Tetsuya added, his tone somewhat apologetic. The other two members of Teiko's first string members weren't quite as acquainted with Mikoto, and normally kept to themselves when they weren't hanging out with the rest of the team- it was a surprise to Mikoto that Shintaro was even here, actually. The boy normally preferred the company of the Akashi heir due to their ability to get along so well. Perhaps Oha Asa had told him to be nice to a fellow Cancer today. "I hope you don't mind."_

_"N-no. That's okay. I just..." Mikoto stuttered out, feeling immensely touched at the effort the guys had gone through for her. Her manners kicked in automatically, and she bowed towards the group, not hesitating to thank them. "Thank you very much!"_

_"Oi oi, lay off the formalities." Daiki grumbled, stepping forth to smack Mikoto on the back as he used his other hand to hold on to the cake. When she straightened up again, he shot her another grin as he continued. "We even got you cake and all- just eat before the wax gets all over the stuff."_

_"Only because you insisted." Mikoto chuckled, her mood brightening immediately- she'd been having a bit of a rough day with all the assignments her teachers had been dumping on her, so this really made her feel a lot better. As she accepted the plastic cake knife Satsuki offered to her, she shot a pointed look at her cousin before adding. "And if you dare to shove my face in the cake like last time, I'll murder you."_

_"No promises." Daiki smirked._

_"Last time..?" Shintaro repeated under his breath, raising an eyebrow. Leave it to Daiki to mess around like that._

_"Alright, everyone!" Ryota announced. "On the count of three- one, two..."_

_As the five teens proceeded to sing the birthday song for Mikoto, the girl just shuffled her feet awkwardly- she never knew what to during these things- though her smile never left her face. She'd never really been surprised with a birthday celebration like this before, so this meant more to her than she could ever express. She didn't even really do that much for or hung out a lot with the basketball team, and yet these guys..._

_"Make a wish!" Satsuki urged Mikoto once the song was finished, glad to see her friend looking so pleased at their gift. After a moment of thought, Mikoto decided on a wish as she blew out the candles while the others started clapping- some more enthusiastic than others._

_"Congratulations, you're now old." Daiki yawned widely, unable to cover his mouth due to the fact that he was currently holding the cake. "Now hurry up and cut the damned cake. I'm starving."_

_"You're always hungry, moron." Mikoto retorted good-naturedly, taking the cake from her cousin as she set it down to slice it up- she made sure to cut a bigger piece for Daiki. That boy could eat like a horse._

_"Hey, Shirato-cchi." Ryota called eagerly as they all sat on the floor of the rooftop, eating their respective slices of cake with disposable napkins- supplied by the ever efficient Tetsuya. The blonde's smile was bright as he spoke to the birthday girl, handing her a small, wrapped package as he did so. "We got you a gift, too!"_

_"Hm?" Mikoto eyes widened slightly as she finished up her slice of cake, placing the napkin aside and brushing off her hands before accepting the gift. Once she swallowed the last of her cake, she allowed herself to speak. "For real?"_

_"Of course!" Ryota appeared almost affronted at her remark. "It's not a birthday party without presents!"_

_"What is it?" Mikoto asked, turning the wrapped-up box around in her hands, as if making sure this wasn't all in her imagination. This had far exceeded any of her expectations..._

_"The point of presents is to open them and find out." Shintaro stated calmly, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Mikoto just shot him a playfully exasperated look, lightly punching his arm. Despite how serious the green-haired boy was, Mikoto actually found that she got along pretty well with him thanks to the similarities they shared._

_The girl proceeded to unwrap the present slowly- choosing to peel off the tape and folds instead of ripping it open unceremoniously. When she finally got to the small box inside all the wrapping paper and opened it..._

_"Woah..." Mikoto lifted the black leather band that had sitting inside the box and examined it with fascination. The leather bracelet consisted of several straps which intertwined and overlapped over a thicker band, which served as the base. There were a couple of small bronze charms attached to the straps, giving the bracelet an almost vintage look. Connected to the end of the base were two drawstrings to tighten or loosen the accessory, and there were even delicate swirling patterns carved into the band, if one looked closely._

_"Wicked..." Mikoto murmured. This thing was gorgeous._

_"Who uses 'wicked' anymore?" Daiki scoffed, earning a smack from Satsuki._

_"Don't ruin the mood." Satsuki admonished him before turning to face Mikoto again. "So you like it?"_

_"Like it? I love it!" Mikoto grinned- heck, she hadn't stopped smiling for nearly the whole time since she'd come up here. These guys didn't know just how happy they were making her- this had to be the best birthday she'd ever had._

_"It's authentic leather, so it won't wear out easily, either." Tetsuya commented, smiling slightly upon seeing the girl's overjoyed expression. As someone who was close to Daiki as well as a fellow member of the library committee, Tetsuya had become rather acquainted with Mikoto as well._

_"Where did you get this?" Mikoto asked, looking up at her friends again- she was still a bit awed that they'd gotten something like this for her._

_"Aomine was the one who spotted it. It was his idea." Shintaro stated calmly. Mikoto shot her cousin a surprised look, and the boy just averted his gaze as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly- Mikoto could've sworn his ears were a bit red, too._

_"I thought I remembered Kise saying that he helped to promote the store before. I figured we could get a discount, that's all." Daiki muttered, trying to seem nonchalant._

_"That's a lie. He just went right in to buy it without asking any questions." Tetsuya corrected plainly._

_"We only split the bill later." Satsuki added as well._

_"Shut up." Daiki growled, scowling at his teammates. Mikoto just laughed, evidently amused at Daiki's flustered state- he always was a bit shy when it came to his emotions._

_"You got it for me because you care." Mikoto teased, feeling far too amused at watching Daiki's face redden at the comment._

_"No. I got it because it's black- like your heart." Daiki retorted, though he wouldn't meet her eye._

_"Oh, please." Mikoto grinned as she leaned forth to hug her cousin. "Thank you ever so much, Dai-chan."_

_"H-hey!" Daiki stuttered out, shying away from the girl. She wasn't budging, much to his embarassment- his teammates were looking far too amused at the scene. "What's with the creepy affection all of a sudden? Back off!"_

_"Aomine-cchi is getting shy~" Ryota taunted, laughing at the boy's flushed face. For all his cockiness, the boy was extremely awkward with affection._

_"I am not!" Daiki denied, still trying to pry Mikoto's hands off him._

_"You really are, Aomine-kun." Tetsuya deadpanned, though anyone could tell that he was trying very hard to keep up the 'passive' act. Even Shintaro was adjusting his glasses, obscuring the small, amused smile on his face._

_"Tetsu, you traitor! Don't side with him!" Daiki retorted, glaring at the fair-haired boy. So much for being his 'shadow'- Tetsu was a total backstabber!_

_They all shared another round of laughter at Daiki's vehement denials, much to the boy's further embarrassment. It was always nice to share a moment like this amongst themselves- just to laugh and be happy with each other. It was only a brief moment of peace, but still, it was the kind of memory that you never forgot- no matter how short it was._

_"But, in all seriousness... thank you- all of you." Mikoto confessed as she looked around at all her companions. She was glad to have them- and she hoped this would never change. That was what she had wished for- that they would all continue to play basketball together and continue to share moments like these. Basketball wasn't just a sport for them- it was practically ingrained into their lives, and was the thing that had brought them all together._

_Mikoto tightened the band around her wrist, her blue eyes softening as she gave a small, happy smile. She wanted this to be a constant part of her- of all of their- lives; to just be happy as they stood together and played the sport they loved so much. Even if she couldn't play, just watching them was enough to warm her heart. This gift would stand as her own personal testament- a reminder of the relationship they all shared now, and the wish she had made._

_"I'll always wear this from now on."_

* * *

Mikoto examined herself in the mirror of her room, smoothing out the navy blue shirt she was wearing. It would normally be a regular Sunday morning for her, but there was a slight change of routine today. Just last night, Tatsuya had called her, asking if she was free the following day. When she'd confirmed that she had no plans, Tatsuya hadn't hesitated to bring up the topic of his offer to hang out somewhere again, and had arranged for them to meet for lunch at the nearby mall.

While Mikoto would normally have been a bit more reluctant to take someone up on such an offer, she found that she was almost... looking forward to it. It had been way too long since she'd gone out with a friend- she had to admit that she missed the old days when she'd been able to go out with her group of pals almost every day and witness their crazy antics. She doubted Tatsuya was the type to pull such antics, of course, but she found that she kind of appreciated his level-headedness. It was easier to get along with.

Mikoto fastened the additional attachments of her leather band onto the bracelet before she grabbed a hair tie off her dressing table, moving her hair over her shoulder as she tied the brown locks into a simple braid. Once that was done, she appraised her appearance one more time in the mirror before nodding in satisfaction, grabbing her sling bag as she exited the room and headed down the stairs.

"Mom! Dad!" Mikoto called out, folding up the hem of her jeans as she hopped on a foot for a moment at the bottom of the steps. "I'm going out, okay?"

"Where you headed off to?" Came the voice of her father- Hajime Shirato- who was sitting in the living room and reading some letters he had gotten in the mail.

"Just going out with a friend." Mikoto replied, walking over to the shoe cupboard near the entrance of her home. She grabbed a pair of socks and her usual sneakers before she sat herself down on a small stool and pulled them on.

"Is it a boy?" Her mother called from the kitchen. Mikoto was positive that her mother, Megumi Shirato (née Aomine) was trying her darndest to marry her off and get her out of the house. Either that, or she was pretty desperate to make sure her daughter wouldn't end up a spinster with five hundred cats. Her mom wasn't too fond of cats.

"Uhm... actually, yes." Mikoto replied hesitantly.

There was the sound of her dad dropping the letters he was holding. Before Mikoto could even blink, her mom was standing in the hallway, holding a mixing bowl and spoon in her hands while some flour was stuck in her dark blue hair. But she seemed far too happy to notice that.

"It is!" Megumi exclaimed happily.

"It is?" Hajime inquired suspiciously, joining his wife in the hallway. Unlike her mom, Mikoto's dad was a bit less eager to have her change her relationship status.

"He's just a friend from school." Mikoto assured, cringing slightly under her parents' scrutiny. Her mom seemed a bit dejected at that, while her dad seemed to relax. "I don't get what the fuss is about. You used to be fine with me hanging around guys back in Tokyo."

"That was when you had Daiki and Satsuki around." Hajime raised an eyebrow- he had a point.

"Well, it's a start, I suppose." Megumi sighed, brushing off a bit of flour from her tanned arms as she commented idly. "It's been far too long since you've gone out with your friends."

"I went out with Matsuki-chan, didn't I?" Mikoto defended, standing up once she'd put on her sneakers properly.

"That was two months ago." Her father pointed out simply. Upon seeing his daughter's sheepish expression, he gave a small chuckle. "But it's good to see that you're going out now, at least.

"Maybe you're finally starting to settle down, Miko." Megumi added, smiling at her daughter.

"I suppose." Mikoto shrugged, grabbing a set of keys from the key holder as she exited her house, waving at her parents as she did so. "I'll see you later."

"...Well?" Megumi turned to her husband as her daughter disappeared from sight, raising an eyebrow. She didn't need to specify what she was talking about- ever since that falling out Mikoto had with her brother's son, her daughter hadn't been quite as outgoing as she used to be. It hadn't escaped her notice, however, that her daughter seemed a bit happier than she used to be lately- the smiles came more often, as did the laughter. And Megumi had a sneaking suspicion that it was this new friend of Mikoto's that had something to do with it- even if her husband had disagreed with her.

Hajime just sighed and ran a hand through his short brown hair, shooting his wife a tired look. He never should have doubted his wife's judgement.

"You were right." He admitted reluctantly, mumbling under his breath.

Megumi just grinned smugly.

* * *

"I'm surprised you chose this place." Tatsuya commented nonchalantly as he leaned back in his seat across from Mikoto, taking a sip of the milkshake he held in his hand. He'd met up with the girl at the mall just half an hour ago, and when he'd allowed her to choose between the various eateries in the mall for a lunch break, she had thrown him off yet again when she chose the last place he'd expected her to- the Maji Burger outlet. He really couldn't judge this book by its cover.

"Why is that?" Mikoto asked, taking another bite of her burger.

"Well, I would have assumed you were the type of person to prefer hanging out in a place with more ambience." The dark-haired boy shrugged, idly adjusting the collar of his graphic T-shirt.

"Those kind of people aren't misers like me." Mikoto scoffed in response. Tatsuya's lips twitched upwards at that- Shirato definitely spoke more openly with him than she was the first time they'd met. He quite enjoyed her witty comments- they made for amusing interaction.

"You're being far too critical on yourself." Tatsuya responded, a half-smile gracing his lips. "I think the more appropriate term would be... conservative."

"Not really. I'm just not picky with my food as long as it's reasonably priced and tastes good." Mikoto corrected. Leave it to Tatsuya to analyse something so minor as a decision on where to eat and pick it apart so thoroughly. This guy would make a great detective- with his superb control over his emotions, mysterious aura, as well as analysis skills, he could easily be the next Sherlock Holmes. The thought made Mikoto snort quietly to herself, though she immediately stifled it- the last thing she needed was for him to think she was a loon who liked laughing to herself.

"True. These milkshakes aren't half bad." Tatsuya chuckled good-naturedly. He normally wasn't too fond of the beverage, but at Mikoto's suggestion, he'd decided to give it a go.

"Told you so." Mikoto replied, somewhat smugly- it always felt good to recruit a new believer in frozen and shaken dairy products. "And we could easily get at least three of those shakes for the same price that you'd pay for, say... a cup of coffee at that café over there." She gestured to a café along the lane opposite their current spot where several people were hanging around, most of whom were drinking coffee or some other caffeine-based beverage as they typed away at their laptops.

"I see you're the kind that likes to make your decisions based off logic over want." Himuro observed, placing his milkshake down in the table with a light 'tap'. Mikoto just raised an eyebrow as she finished up her burger, making sure to swallow before answering- her manners were always among her top priorities.

"You're making that sort of deduction from my choice of fast food?" She inquired. Talk about over analysing- nothing ever slipped this guy's notice.

"Psychology can extend to various areas." Himuro replied simply.

"Well, I can't say that your assumption was wrong." Mikoto shrugged. That was yet another occupation Tatsuya should consider in his future- if not as a basketball player or detective, he should totally be a psychologist. Mikoto noted with quite some admiration just how well-rounded Tatsuya's capabilities were.

"Hm." He hummed thoughtfully, picking at some fries as he mused over Mikoto's answer for a moment. "That has both its flaws and advantages."

"Does it bother you?"

"Not at all. I think it's interesting that you're a bit different from the norm."

"Lots of people are able to think with their head."

"True. But few are able to act on it."

"Thinking with your heart can often cause more harm than good."

"But pure logic leaves no room for sympathy or consideration. It can be pretty dangerous."

"Too much emotional influence can also result in adverse effects."

"Granted, but emotions are what make us human."

"Perhaps it all comes down to circumstance and balance, in the end."

"As do all things." Tatsuya agreed. There was a brief pause, before- much to Mikoto's surprise- a genuine smile crossed his face, and he laughed lightly to himself as a thought occurred to him.

"What's so funny?" Mikoto tilted her head, though she was still a bit stunned. So there were other expressions this guy could pull off besides his Mona Lisa smile and otherwise blank masks? Surprise, surprise.

"I can't believe we're having a debate about philosophy over milkshakes and fries." Tatsuya explained once he regained his composure, a wider-than-usual smile on his face. "Maybe we really should have gone for that café instead- coffee would have given this a much classier atmosphere."

"Can't argue with that." Mikoto replied, though she couldn't hold back the small smile that graced her own lips this time. Now that he'd mentioned it, she realized that Tatsuya made a valid point. What a way to kill the 'wise and deep' image...

"You know, that really is a nice bracelet." Tatsuya suddenly commented, gesturing to the band on Mikoto's wrist when she reached out to grab her own milkshake. Startled by the sudden comment, Mikoto glanced down at the accessory- she was so used to wearing it that she sometimes forgot she even had it on in the first place.

"Ah, thanks." She nodded absently. While that may have seemed like a normal comment to anyone else, Mikoto knew that Tatsuya had done that deliberately- the subtle comment was made to bring the topic back to the reason he'd arranged for this outing in the first place...

"I don't recall it having all those additional straps and charms, though." Tatsuya added, his tone light as he admired the intricately designed accessory. Whoever had gotten it for Mikoto definitely had a good eye.

"Those are detachable. Our school's pretty strict with rules- accessorizing is no different." Mikoto answered, before her eyes darted to Tatsuya's chain. Well, she might as well bring up the topic of his own accessory too- it was only fair. "I like your ring too, by the way."

"I highly doubt that." Tatsuya chuckled shortly, playing with the silver band hanging from the chain. "It's barely impressive."

"It's poetic in its simplicity." Mikoto corrected sagely, and Tatsuya couldn't help but blink in surprise at the wise statement.

"That was quite a nice quote." He commented, his tone tinged with admiration as he took another fry.

"I wouldn't know- I think I heard it from some action flick." Mikoto shrugged. "Pretty sure the guy who said it got stabbed after that."

Not this again.

Tatsuya started coughing due to his attempt to laugh at Shirato's comment, though this time his choking fit was less severe than the last. Once he managed to calm down and had a few gulps of his milkshake to wash down the dislodged fry, he shot Mikoto a wry- yet amused- smirk.

"You really need to give me a heads-up before you do that." He panted out, though his voice was laced with lightheartedness. "I would very much like to die in a more peaceful manner besides asphyxiation."

"My... apologies." Mikoto barely managed to mumble out the last word, before she clamped a hand over her mouth and started laughing. She couldn't help herself- that had been completely unintentional!

Himuro seemed a bit surprised for a moment, before he smiled upon realizing something. This was the first time he'd actually managed to get a laugh out of the girl- and he noticed with quite some amusement that she had a tendency to snort slightly in between her gasps of laughter, though she seemed to be trying to hide it.

"It's sort of endearing when you laugh like that." Tatsuya teased lightly, hoping to get a rise out of her. It was sort of interesting to see her reactions to his jests- she didn't end up giggling and flustered like most other girls did.

"No it doesn't- I sound like a dying horse!" Mikoto retorted in between her bout of laughter. Tatsuya couldn't help but join in with a chuckle of his own- this girl was either really thick-skinned or really good at brushing off comments. The girl was becoming less of a puzzle and more of a- dare he say it?- a friend.

As the laughter died down, a comfortable silence fell over the two of them, and they simply enjoyed the short break from conversation. Once they finished up their respective meals and were working on their drinks, Mikoto suddenly put hers down first, lacing her fingers together on the tabletop as she faced Tatsuya solemnly.

"But, about what we spoke about that day..." Mikoto began slowly, much to Tatsuya's surprise. He hadn't expected her to return to that topic since they'd already diverted away from it. "You answered my question honestly the other day. You gave me your trust, and I think it's only fair that I return the favour."

"You don't have to put it so formally." Tatsuya waved it off- though his own curiosity was piqued, he didn't want her to confide in him simply because she felt she had to; it wouldn't sit right with him. "It's up to you whether you want to trust me with that sort of information. I don't want you to feel like you're obliged to do so."

"No. I... I want to talk to talk about it." Mikoto's hesitation didn't escape Tatsuya's notice, and her interlocked fingers tightened slightly as she shifted her gaze to them. "It's been too long."

Tatsuya considered her decision for a before he placed his own cup back down on the table, paying the utmost attention to Mikoto. The girl appreciated that he was willing to listen so intently- especially given what she was about to admit to him. Taking a deep breath, Mikoto kept her blue eyes fixated on her hands as she spoke- it would be easier to maintain her calm expression that way.

"My cousin is the former ace of the Generation of Miracles- Daiki Aomine." Mikoto stated simply. Opposite from her, she noticed that Tatsuya seemed to stiffen at her statement, but even then he didn't say anything- a good listener, indeed. "He started playing basketball when he was very young."

Here, she paused for a moment, memories of a grinning, dark-skinned boy filling her mind. Then, the scene in her mind shifted- the boy was taller and more muscular now, but his expression was hard and arrogant; like everyone else was beneath him and he knew it.

"How did he come to influence you to become so interested in basketball?" Tatsuya asked quietly, his tone placating. His calm voice seemed to bring Mikoto out of her reverie, and her eyes briefly shot to his face before she looked back at her fidgeting hands. That was all that it took for Tatsuya to see what emotions were brimming beneath the surface- wistfulness, the sting of betrayal, resentment.

He could read all that from a single glance, because he had seen that expression in the mirror all too many times before.

"It's kind of a long story." Mikoto hesitated.

"Take your time. I'm willing to listen." Tatsuya assured, his voice kinder than usual. Maybe it was his words or his naturally calming aura, but Mikoto found that she was able to relax a little, and found the strength to continue her story.

"Daiki... He loved the sport more than anything else." Mikoto continued, her tone wistful to some extent. "It always fascinated me how strongly he felt about it- and it was amazing to watch him play so well. He was like a fire; burning with such intensity and passion as he played. It was beautiful- enough to make me love the sport, too."

Tatsuya could hear the admiration and affection in Mikoto's voice- the impact that this 'Daiki' had left on her was almost tangible. But then, her voice changed slightly as she continued, becoming more cold.

"But then.. he became too good. And no one could stand against him. They wouldn't even try to stop him- they just gave up any hope of beating him." Mikoto's lips thinned slightly. "It crushed him. What he loved the most... was hurting him even more. And he changed.

"He started skipping practice, stopped putting effort into playing... He got bored. It wasn't just his playing that changed, too. He went too far into the light, and it engulfed him. His teammates followed soon after- one by one losing that spark... save for one."

'One'? That sparked Himuro's interest, but he remained silent. Now was not the time for questions- those could always be asked later. If he interrupted now, he may never get to hear the end of her story.

"Daiki was selfish. He hurt the ones who cared for him, and I hate it. But... I can't let go." Here, Mikoto finally averted her gaze from her hands, choosing instead to stare off to the side as she finished her tale. "I want to see him- to talk to him- and yet every time I see that he's still so different, I can feel that resentment. And I don't think it'll ever go away until we both change, somehow."

That was that, then. Mikoto took a deep breath when she was finished, feeling an immense sense of relief overcoming her at finally being able to tell someone about her struggles with Daiki. It was as if a weight had finally been taken off her shoulders, but she knew all too well that she would have to pick it up again soon enough. Like it or not, Daiki was her family, and she couldn't keep avoiding him forever. Sooner or later, she would have to face him again, and she wanted to mend the bond when she did. But she couldn't- not with the way they were now.

"...Could I ask a question?" Tatsuya asked, his voice careful- as though he was afraid of overstepping his boundaries.

"Go ahead." The girl shrugged, apparently having regained control over her emotions again. There was no point in moping about it now, anyway- what's done was done.

"What sparked your interest in basketball again?" Tatsuya inquired curiously. After all that she'd gone through, why would she continue to watch the sport that her cousin had introduced to her? Why hurt herself that way? He knew what it was like to be hurt by the sport he loved playing so much, but he wanted to know her reasons- if there was even a small chance that she shared some of the same ideals that he did... it would be comforting. It would make more sense.

"I never lost it- you can't just forget about something you're so invested in without at least fighting for it." Mikoto explained, before a small, dry smile crossed her face and she continued in a lighter tone to alleviate some of the tension. "Honestly, I couldn't play basketball to save my life, but after all the time I spent around those basketball fanatics, I guess it just rubbed off on me."

No, she couldn't simply abandon the sport she loved- just as she couldn't leave Daiki. She wanted to hate basketball- if it had a physical form, she wanted to crush it into dust for what it had done to her beloved cousin. But at the same time, she wanted to continue loving it- wanted to see Daiki smiling and laughing as he played.

It was both a curse and a blessing.

There were a few beats of silence for a moment, and Mikoto just continued staring off to the side as she recalled memories of her days in Teiko- before the Miracles became Miracles. Jesting at Daiki, girl talk with Momoi, nearly getting a heart attack courtesy of Kuroko's random appearances, discussing modern trends with Kise, debating more serious topics with Midorima or sometimes even Akashi, and cheering for them as they played... those days were gone now, but the memories still remained. That was what chained her to her past- that was why she couldn't truly let go.

The feeling of something touching her interlocked hands startled Mikoto out of her walk down memory lane, and she nearly jerked her hand back instinctively at the contact. Blinking for a moment, the girl snapped her gaze back to her hands, and was startled to see that Himuro had reached across the table, having placed his hand over her her own. His grey eyes seemed to reflect with an expression Mikoto couldn't read, but it was more intense than anything she'd ever seen in his expression. Unconsciously, Mikoto was vaguely aware of the blush that threatened to rise upon realizing that _the_ Tatsuya Himuro was actually initiating physical contact with her, but she managed to push it back down- she wasn't going to be one of _those_ girls.

"I'll help you." He stated, his expression set.

"What?"

"You said the both of you needed to change before you could make it up somehow." Himuro's hand tightened around hers slightly as a gesture of comfort, and Mikoto had to actually struggle this time to stop the blush from rising. "So I'll give you a hand."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Mikoto asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. This was sudden- what was he talking about?

"I'm actually going to play by ear with this situation." He replied, though a small smirk tugged at the corners if his lips. "But I'll succeed."

"...You sound so sure of yourself." Mikoto gave a short bark of laughter after a brief pause- he was actually offering something like this? Her eyes glittered with mirth as she glanced back at him almost challengingly. "Are all you basketball players this confident, or is it just you being egotistical?"

"A bit of both, really." Tatsuya responded, his smirk finally winning over and spreading on his face. However, he sounded utterly sincere as he continued. "But I mean it- I'll help you find what you're looking for."

And maybe... he would be able to learn a thing or two, himself.

"...Once again, I reiterate that you are a very interesting person, Himuro-kun." Mikoto mused after a moment of thought, raising an eyebrow at the dark-haired boy. He still hadn't removed his hand, and she was starting to grow a bit uncomfortable with the contact as she started to notice things she shouldn't have been- like how warm his hand was, or how his his fingers were calloused, yet long and elegant. Not to mention that since he was leaning a bit closer to her from across the table, she had a much better view of his features- those ash-grey eyes were even more pretty up close, and that beauty mark was well-named for this guy...

Oh man. This boy was gorgeous. Mikoto wanted to go jump off a building for being a disappointment to her gender- this was yet another guy who was prettier than she was! As if Ryota and Shintaro weren't bad enough...

"The same could be said for you." Tatsuya replied lightly as he retracted his hands from hers.

"If that's what you say." Mikoto shrugged, feeling much more at ease now that Tatsuya had pulled his hand back. She then leaned her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her palm as she cocked an eyebrow at the boy. "Now, I spilled far too much about myself. Your turn, now."

"Oh? I don't recall agreeing to any terms and conditions for my own secrets." Tatsuya jested, testing her reactions.

"It's either that or you're paying for both of us." Mikoto shrugged.

"I would have offered to do so without any conditions." Himuro returned.

"This is nothing- I'm holding back now, Himuro-kun. And I must warn you, I can really eat when I want to." Mikoto lifted her chin almost arrogantly as she challenged Tatsuya- a shadow of her prideful self showing through once again. "Your wallet or your secrets. Choose."

Tatsuya was silent. And then, he just scoffed under his breath, concealing the grin the crossed his face briefly by brushing a hand across his lips and faking a cough. Mikoto made a very tempting offer- after his statement about volunteering himself without her prompting, he would have to agree to paying for her if it meant upholding his word. She may have just gotten him to say that on purpose, too...

He could get used to this girl.

"We're going to need more milkshakes if we're doing this." Tatsuya complied, lifting his empty milkshake cup. He figured that he would prefer to have enough lunch money for the rest of the year.

Mikoto just shut her eyes and gave a satisfied smile. She won this round.

"Agreed."

* * *

**AN: Sooo**** the more fluffy scenes will be coming along starting next chapter! (Took long enough pfff) Can't wait for the awkwardness I'll have to suffer through once again, haha!**

**(PS: please note that Pythona did not actually get stabbed in GI Joe the movie lol. It was just a quote that intrigued me xD)**

**All of my thanks goes out to Savage Kill, Rhythm15, becky157689, Fairy Skull , angelbeets, WalkingOnShadows, csd14ll, kitsune light, PlzGives , MeisterPanda, Romance-Oubliee, ClassDummy101, Hind-x, SillyLittlePeachy , Sachiko Keidi Honoki, Guest 1** (in response to your review: I'm glad you like the pacing so far! I'm honoured that you think so highly of this story- I hope I don't disappoint!)** and Guest 2** (thank you for your praise! I hope this update is good enough for now!). **Do forgive me for not being able to thank you all individually like I normally do- running two fics at once has given me quite some confusion regarding who did what. But I still really appreciate the support you guys have given me! See ya'll next update!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

It didn't take long for Mikoto to realize she was being used by Coach Araki during her visits to the basketball practices.

It wasn't a big deal at first- occasionally getting her to help her grab something from the staff room, or just helping to deliver something to another teacher. Simple requests that Mikoto figured she had no right to turn down due to the fact that it was in fact the coach's gym she was spending time in, and that it wasn't really anything too extreme. It was only after the coach started giving her heavier tasks like buying refreshments for the team, watching over practice when she had to go out for a minute, or helping with the club's paperwork (among other things) that Mikoto started to think something was off.

It was on one fine day, when she was watching over the team's warm-up plays while Coach Araki attended a teacher's meeting that it hit Mikoto- weren't all these things supposed to be the tasks of the club manager or something? She wasn't even part of the club! Why was she entrusted with these tasks? Granted, she was free most of the time whenever she hung out around here, but that wasn't any excuse to dump all these jobs on her when she wasn't even in this club to begin with!

As Mikoto silently fumed over this, the sound of the door to the gymnasium opening caught her attention, and the girl turned to see the coach walking in, carrying several papers in her hands. As Masako approached, she looked up at Mikoto, her dark eyes as passive as ever.

"Shirato, I need you to send these to my desk for me. I have to watch over the team's two-on-two practice match." The woman informed, handing Mikoto the papers while she flipped open her phone to make a note in her planner. The girl didn't even get a chance to respond before the teacher cut her off again. "After that, make sure you get back here- the club's logbook has to be updated."

For the first time since Coach Araki had started asking her to carry out these duties, Mikoto felt a swell of courage. Who was she to order her around? As just a regular student who wasn't a member of the basketball team, there was no reason for her to obey the coach's orders when there should be a manager to carry out these duties! She didn't need to do this!

That was it, this was ending today!

"Sensei-"

"Is there a problem, Shirato?" Coach Araki's eyes shot up from her phone to clash with Mikoto's azure ones, the expression in those dark pupils glinting devilishly with a silent, menacing threat. Even her voice was dangerously smooth- as if she sensed Mikoto's defiance and was daring her to act upon it.

...

On second thought, ending it could wait. Mikoto figured she valued her life over her pride.

"...Never mind." The brunette peeped out sheepishly, turning on her heel and speed-walking out of the gym as she carried the papers to the coach's desk, as ordered. So much for being a rebel- that woman was insanely scary. One would think she was a gang leader or biker chick at some point in her life...

"And oh, Shirato? Pick up some refreshments for the team, too, while you're at it." Coach Araki called out as Mikoto began to back away submissively. Mikoto's eyes flashed in brief hesitation again, but the piercing stare that the coach gave her was too much, and she nodded mutely as she hastily made her escape from Masako's dangerous presence.

Watching the girl obediently taking her leave- none too quickly, she noted- the coach just smirked lightly and gave a small hum of satisfaction. She hadn't lost her touch, it would seem. Fear commanded respect after all, and she definitely had no shortage of that. And Mikoto was actually very effective at carrying out these little chores- perhaps she should consider assigning her to the job, full-time...

As the coach turned her gaze back to the court to observe her team's progress, she noted that one particular player was staring after Mikoto as she left, amusement dancing in his grey eyes. A small smile tugged at the corners of Tatsuya's lips as he watched the normally immoveable girl meekly scampering away, and he looked far too entertained by the whole scene.

Well, well- this was an interesting development. But not one they could afford halfway through practice.

"Himuro! Keep your head in the game!"

"Excuse me?" Mikoto deadpanned, her face completely slack with disbelief. In front of her stood Tatsuya, who, despite having just finished the first half of practice, seemed completely relaxed as he used his towel to wipe away his perspiration. He was wearing his usual half-smile as he looked down at her from where she sat in her usual place in the stands, though Mikoto could have sworn there was a slightly more mischievous gleam in the depths of those silvery irises.

"You're here all the time, anyway." He elaborated, trying to convince the girl to comply to his suggestion. "What's wrong with getting to know the rest of the team more? You've met us all already."

"Meeting and actually wanting to speak with someone are two entirely different things."

"Only if you make it so."

"Did my acceptance of your invitation of friendship somehow give you the wrong impression that I also meant the rest of the team?" Mikoto inquired blandly, clearly unamused by what Tatsuya was suggesting she should do.

"You were the one who said you needed to change somehow, so maybe you could start by getting out of your shell." He justified, shrugging. It was true- he was trying to get her to do this partially out of his urge to help her... and to pull her out of her hermit-like social life. "You could use a couple more friends."

"I have plenty of friends." Mikoto defended, somewhat miffed at what Himuro was implying about her social circle.

"Name five." Mikoto opened her mouth to respond to Tatsuya's challenge, before he cut her off again. "Five- that are from this school."

No response. Tatsuya smirked- her silence spoke for itself. Mikoto just turned her head away, flushing in embarrassment at her defeat.

"Do you always take it upon yourself to push the introvert out of her comfort zone?" Mikoto muttered, sighing as she stood up to comply to Tatsuya's absurd plan. She would have turned it down, but she was far too proud to show that she couldn't handle this.

"It's more of a pastime." He responded. The boy then urged Mikoto to go forth, before taking hold of her shoulders from behind as he all but pushed her to her down to the first row of the stands, where the other members of the basketball team where resting.

"H-hey!" Mikoto exclaimed, caught off-guard by his sudden actions. She tried to dig in her heels, but Tatsuya was a lot stronger, and all he needed to do was apply a bit more force to keep her moving forth to face her doom. "Don't- I really think you should-"

But before she knew it, Mikoto found herself standing before the row of basketball members, all of whom had fallen silent at her sudden appearance. For a moment, they all engaged in a staring match between themselves and Mikoto, who looked like she was gradually shrinking under their scrutiny. The girl vaguely registered the sound of Tatsuya chuckling quietly at the sudden awkwardness of the situation, and had to physically restrain herself from stomping on his foot.

Stupid, infuriating, beautiful man-

"Er... hi." Mikoto gave a small, awkward wave at the members of the basketball team, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Is there something we can do for you, Shirato-san?" Kenichi asked politely, being the first to respond to Mikoto's uncomfortable greeting.

"Um, not exactly..." Mikoto struggled to think up something to say, her heart palpitating in her chest as her nervousness grew. She was terrible with crowds- unless she knew them all personally, she could easily be reduced to a stuttering, estranged wreck...

"So why are you here, then?" Kensuke got straight to the point, either not noticing or not caring about the girl's tense demeanour to try and placate her with less hostile words. Shirato looked like she wanted to disappear just then, and shot Tatsuya a glare over her shoulder- though it was diminished somewhat by the nervousness in her expression.

"This is your fault." She accused weakly, her voice almost a hiss. Tatsuya simply responded with a small, apologetic smile, before he turned back to his teammates once more.

"Come on, guys." He coaxed. "Just work with us here. Small talk, updates, anything."

"Mm, okay." Atsushi responded once he'd swallowed his chips, before his eyes lazily flickered over to Mikoto. "Not-girlfriend is weird."

"If I had a penny for every time I heard that name..." Mikoto grumbled under her breath.

"Mine-chin is cooler than you." He added cheekily, biting on another chip as he did so. Mikoto just huffed and moved a hand to her forehead to hide the view of her twitching eye, forcing herself not to respond to that. There was no point, she told herself; there was no use, let it slide...

"Shirato, our Physics presentation is due on Friday." Liu spoke, not even bothering to look up as he fixed the laces on his shoes. "Make sure you have your lines memorized."

"Got it." Mikoto mumbled- she'd been hearing that from Liu for days now, it was almost maddening. It was better than Atsushi's attempt at conversation, at least...

"Shirato-san, I need an honest opinion from a neutral party." Kenichi spoke up all of a sudden, his tone unusually serious. That caught Mikoto's attention immediately- she rarely heard the captain of the basketball team use that tone...

"Sure. What is it?" She nodded, her curiosity piqued. What could he possibly want to ask that had him sounding so solemn? Something about basketball? Political matters? A renowned question of philosophical mystery?

"Am I really that revolting to all females?" Kenichi asked, his tone reverting to that of a more hopeful, desperate kid- in other words, the kind of tone she was accustomed to hearing from him.

A renowned question of philosophical mystery, indeed.

"Haven't we reaffirmed this fact several times, Okamura?" Kensuke snorted, never missing out on a chance for a jab at his captain.

"I didn't ask you!" Okamura retorted, before turning back to Mikoto with a less annoyed expression. "Shirato-san?"

"Well..." Mikoto trailed off for a moment, trying to buy time to contemplate the question- way to put her on the spot. Compared to the other guys on his team, she had to admit that Kenichi wasn't exactly the most pleasing to look at. But even so, he had his own rugged theme going on for him, and she was pretty sure Matsuki had the hots for him too, so...

"Okamura-senpai isn't that bad." Mikoto shrugged. Though she meant it as a casual response, with the way Kenichi suddenly brightened up and grinned so widely at her one would think she just told him he won the lottery.

"Really?!" He exclaimed joyously. Were... were those tears of happiness glistening in his eyes?

"Y-Yeah." Mikoto stuttered, somewhat perplexed by the reaction her answer had spurred on. "You're like... a very big teddy bear."

"That's so sweet!" Kenichi cried happily, making Mikoto cringe further as she honestly considered walking away right now- she never thought her reply could spur such a response. The third-year seemed oblivious to her disturbed state, and simply turned towards his vice-captain smugly. "I told you I didn't look like a gorilla!"

"I'm not even sure if that was supposed to be a compliment." Liu muttered, taking a swig from his water bottle. He was used to his teammates' antics.

"I don't think so, too." Atsushi added.

"Let him have his moment." Mikoto muttered in response, earning a slight snort from Liu and even a small lift at the corners of Atsushi's lips.

"Shirato, I think you may need to get glasses." Kensuke suddenly commented, raising an eyebrow at Mikoto while his captain enthused over the compliment (of sorts) that he'd received.

"I can see perfectly fine, thank you." Mikoto huffed defensively. Sure, she did have to use reading glasses, but he didn't need to know that.

"Crazy people always say they're fine. Apparently, the same goes for blind people." Kensuke snarked. He didn't wait for a response as he simply threw his towel over his head, rubbing his hair dry.

What Mikoto would give to tie that tongue of his to a lamppost and leave him there-

"Remind me again why I agreed to this, Himuro-kun?" Mikoto asked calmly, turning to face the dark-haired boy who had been watching the whole scene silently. In response, Tatsuya just gave her another vague smile- though she didn't miss the amused expression in his eyes as he noticed her twitching eye. The sadistic jerkface was enjoying this.

She was going to end up punching him at this rate.

"One step at a time, Shirato-chan." Tatsuya encouraged calmly, though his voice was underlined with a patronising tone. "One step at a time."

* * *

Mikoto grunted as she cast herself from the higher of the uneven parallel bars to the lower one in a straddle back release, before moving into a swing on the low bar again. Gymnastics practice was going well for her so far- no major mess-ups yet. Even so, the new routine she was working on was somewhat challenging for her, and she refused to stop working on it until she got the basics right, at least. It would take at least two weeks to actually get the whole routine down pat, but she was still going to push herself as much as she could.

From her swing, she shifted the position of her hands to maneuver her body into a free hip circle, and then moved to stand on the low bar- her feet stumbled slightly, but she regained her balance well enough. She then moved to a handstand on the high bar again, before casting herself into a long hanging kip. Things were going relatively well far- maybe she could try for a little extra something with her dismount..

Mikoto swung herself in two large swings, building up momentum before she attempted her big finish- she decided she should take Hinata's suggestion into account, just to see how it would go. Once the second swing was completed, Mikoto pushed of, ending with a double flyaway dismount...

That is, it would have been a double flyaway, had it not been for the fact that she failed to complete the second somersault properly. She had mistimed her dismount, and was now landing too far away from the bars and too close to the ground.

Mikoto could only feel annoyance as she realized she wouldn't be able to land on her feet at her failed double flyaway, and she braced herself for the impact of her fall onto the floor. What made her muscles freeze in shock, however, was that she caught a flash of black and white right where she was to land, and the familiar sight of a single, visible eye widening in surprise.

_'Oh sh-!'_

She couldn't watch.

_WHAM!_

Mikoto slammed ungracefully on top of the victim of her newest accident in a messy heap, her forehead smacking into something solid with enough force to make her head bounce back. the girl groaned in pain as she just lay there for a moment, too stunned from the fall to register just what was going on. Most fortunately for her, the rest of her body was spared any injury due to her landing had been cushioned by the person she had fallen on top of. Unfortunately for said person... well, that pretty much said it all.

"Y-you're heavier than you look- aren't you, Shirato-chan?" Tatsuya joked weakly, his voice somewhat strained as he attempted a small chuckle.

"S-sorry." Mikoto mumbled out quickly, using her elbows to support her as she pushed herself up. However, she stopped short as a sharp pain ran through her skull, causing her to groan again as she touched her forehead- yep, definitely bruised, and from the looks of it she must have hit it on Tatsuya's own forehead. Talk about embarrassing. "Ouch."

"You're telling me." The boy attempted a light smirk, before carefully brushing his hand over his own brow. Thankfully, it didn't feel too bad- Mikoto's head looked like it was suffering worse than his, though.

"What were you doing standing so close to the bars?" Mikoto accused, her eyes glinting with vague annoyance. Call it his mind acting up after that bump he got on his head, but Tatsuya couldn't help but admire those dark blue pupils as they stared into his own...

"Sorry about that. I was actually heading towards the seats- didn't expect you to fall." He responded, wearing a placating smile on his face. He had stopped by the gym that day to assist the gymnasts with their refreshments again, but he definitely hadn't been expecting one of said gymnasts to crash onto him- let alone Mikoto. "Shouldn't you be glad I cushioned your fall, though?"

"That's what the mats are for." Mikoto grunted, unwilling to give him credit for that. When her mind finally cleared itself from its blurry state, however, she became all too aware of the fact she hadn't moved and was practically lying on top of Tatsuya, the outline of his well-toned physique far too tangible beneath her to be deemed comfortable.

Mikoto all but leapt onto her feet and off the boy immediately upon this realisation, even shuffling back a few paces for good measure. Tatsuya blinked in surprise at suddenly having her weight disappear off of him, before noticing the redness that was slowly creeping up Mikoto's neck as she tried fervently to regain her composure.

Oh. Did he just make the serious, cool and composed Mikoto Shirato blush? Well- it looked like that close contact had been a little too close for her liking... not that he himself had minded it. But before he could think of a verbal response to her reaction, however, a new voice interrupted them- one that Himuro recognized as belonging to the captain of the gymnastics team.

"Shirato-chan!" Hinata exclaimed as she ran up to the two teens. Apparently, the accident hadn't escaped the notice of the other team members as well- some of them looked mildly concerned, while the others looked almost envious. The third-year fell into the former category, and she took Mikoto by the shoulders and examined her junior worriedly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Matsuki-chan." Mikoto insisted, though she didn't miss how Hinata's eyes widened when her gaze fell upon her forehead. In an attempt to divert the senior's attention elsewhere, Mikoto turned back to the raven-haired boy who was slowly standing up once again. "Himuro-kun?"

"It's alright. I've suffered worse." Tatsuya put on usual half-smile back on his face as he assured them of his wellbeing. Hinata wasn't satisfied with the minor distraction, however, as she frowned and pointed directly at Mikoto's forehead.

"Your head's not looking too good, though, Shirato-chan." She tutted. "You better get that seen to."

"It's alright-"

"I'll make sure she does." Tatsuya interrupted Mikoto just then, stepping up to the two girls. He placed a hand on Mikoto's shoulder for extra emphasis- the bruise on her forehead was rather bad, and stubbornness on Mikoto's part would do her no good.

"W-what?" Mikoto started, taken aback by the boy's interruption. Hinata looked somewhat surprised as well, but recovered quickly enough to give him a nod of approval.

"We have a cold pack in the medical kit, you can use that. It's in the locker room." She pointed in the direction of said locker room, ignoring Mikoto's wide-eyed look of apprehension- this was for her own good. She would attend to Mikoto herself, but she needed to keep an eye on the other members as well as work on her own routine.

Plus, she wouldn't mind allowing those two to get some time alone.

"Right. Thank you." Tatsuya nodded in affirmation, before he lead Mikoto in the direction Hinata i had directed. As she went on her way, Mikoto mouthed the words "I'll kill you" at her captain accusingly, looking for all the world like she'd been betrayed- not that she was wrong. Hinata, in return, just winked and waved at Mikoto as she was led away, shooting her a sly grin.

Now, they were even.

* * *

"Why does my forehead look like a bruised fruit, while yours looks the same as always?" Mikoto muttered, staring at the nasty black-and-blue mark on her forehead in the small mirror she'd kept in her bagpack. It was a lot worse than she'd thought- big, purple and downright ugly- and it still throbbed lightly. Sighing, she just turned away from the mirror, facing the boy that had partially been responsible for her current situation. Tatsuya just shot her a wry smile as he knelt on the floor and opened up the medical kit Hinata had informed them of- he'd insisted that Mikoto sit herself down to rest herself for a while as he sought out the cold pack he had been told about. The injury wasn't so severe that she needed attention from the school nurse, but it wouldn't hurt to try and attend to it on a minor scale.

"I've been told that I have a hard head." Tatsuya chuckled lightly, removing the cold pack from the kit. There was only a slight darkening around the area of impact on his own brow, so he didn't need to do much to his injury.

"Apparently that applies both physically as well as metaphorically." Mikoto scoffed in reply. Tatsuya just gave a small laugh at that, before activating the cold pack he had retrieved. Without warning, he placed a hand beneath Mikoto's chin to tilt her head up slightly, before brushing away the loose strands of hair from her forehead and placing the pack over her bruise.

"Hold this here. It'll help with the swelling." He advised, his tone surprisingly gentle.

"R-right." Mikoto agreed quickly, taking hold of the pack as he removed his hand. Trying to hide her flustered state, the girl cleared her throat as she drummed the fingers of her free hand on her knee, trying to change the topic. "In any case, I really am sorry. I have a pretty bad record when it comes to dismounts."

"This isn't the first time this has happened?" Tatsuya inquired, packing away the medical kit and hanging it back on the wall.

"It's the first time I've landed on someone instead of the floor, if that's what you mean." Mikoto responded sheepishly. That garnered another short laugh from the raven-haired teen, and he wore a small smile on his face as he turned towards her once more.

"Well, I'm sure you've gained something from this experience." He commented lightly.

"Yeah. A huge bump on my forehead." Mikoto responded, tapping the cold pack she was holding against her bruise. That was a mistake, though- she winced slightly at the pain the light impact caused.

"But it did little to affect your wit, it would seem." Tatsuya smiled, before he noted her grimace and reverted back to wearing a concerned expression as he knelt in front of her. "Does it hurt that badly? Do you need to take some painkillers?"

"No, it's alright. Just a small sting." Mikoto replied, waving off his offer. There wasn't much need for that- it wasn't that painful.

"Hang on, let me try something." Tatsuya suggested, gently coaxing her to remove the pack from her head briefly. He then brought his hands up and placed his thumbs just outside the bruise's radius, carefully applying pressure as he circled his thumbs slowly around the area.

"What-" Mikoto flinched at the sharp pain that ran through her scalp at the initial contact, but after a moment, the pain faded away and became more subdued. She fell silent immediately as Tatsuya continued to rub her temple, suddenly overwhelmed by the soothing effect it had.

"They say massaging is good for the blood flow around bruised areas." He explained, sparing a brief glance at Mikoto. "Is it working?"

"Mm." Mikoto hummed in response, not bothering to reply with whole sentences. This felt really good...

Tatsuya found himself giving a small smile when Mikoto's eyes fell shut for a moment, seemingly absorbed in the effects of the massage. She looked a lot less tense and serious this way- just like she had when he caught her laughing last week. After a couple more minutes, he finally retracted his hands from their work, gaining a hint of satisfaction when he saw a brief flash of disappointment in Mikoto's eyes as she reopened them.

"That should do it for now." Tatsuya concluded as he stood up once again. "But just in case, you should take it easy now. I'm sure your captain won't mind if you leave early today."

"She'd probably drag me back home herself if I tried to stay longer." Mikoto agreed, shuddering at the thought. Hinata could be almost overbearingly maternal when she wanted to be- she wouldn't let Mikoto back on the bars even if the world was ending.

"That's good, then." Tatsuya nodded to himself. That earned a raised eyebrow from Mikoto, and he quickly explained himself. "At least you can get the rest you need."

"I'd best inform her, though-" Mikoto started to say as she stood up, though she was interrupted by her companion once again.

"Don't trouble yourself." He assured, patting her shoulder kindly. "I'll go tell her- you should go change first."

Mikoto just stared at Tatsuya for a moment- not in apprehension or suspicion, but in honest surprise. It was as if the weight of everything that had just happened- and had been happening throughout the past week ever since her outing with him- suddenly hit her, and she found herself stumped. The way Himuro was interacting with her, and the concern he expressed now...

This... was what friendship was like.

"...Thank you, Himuro-kun." Mikoto thanked sincerely, though for once, she found herself unable to meet his eye as she ducked her head. Even though it was something as small as this... she found herself immensely touched at what he was doing for her. She'd almost forgotten what it was like- having a close friend like this. While part of her mind nagged at her subconscious, mockingly warning her that befriending this guy would only end up just like the last time... she wanted to be able to trust him. She wanted to be able to have an actual friend again.

She was tired of isolating herself.

"It's not a problem." Tatsuya assured, turning to head out of the locker rooms. Mikoto just smiled to herself as she walked over to her locker to retrieve her usual school uniform, but before she could head to the changing rooms...

"Hey, Shirato-chan."

"Hm?" Mikoto glanced back to see that Tatsuya had only just opened the door to the locker room, having paused right before he could exit. "What is it?"

"Given the situation... could it be said that you fell for me?" The boy asked innocently, though his visible eye was brimming with mischief.

...

Tatsuya exited and shut the door to the locker rooms just in time to block the shoe Mikoto aimed at his head.

* * *

**AN: I live for destroying the comfort of my OCs' lives I am not sorry. Just a note- while Hinata is one year Mikoto's senior, she doesn't address her with the '-senpai' suffix. Though they aren't exactly BFFs, they're still familiar enough with each other to drop the more formal titles. Hope that clears things up!**

**Anyhoo- shout out to PhoenixRage92, RomanticKissez, Hind-x, SelenaAthene, Forgotten Cross, chupamaflaba, Shaine26, anomaly1, Ruby Calendula, Harukawa Ayame, LeoInuyaka **(omg you can't tell but I'm having a total 'senpai noticed me' moment asdfghjkl YOUR WORKS ARE AMAZE KTHX. I'm so honoured 8'D) ,** Shivi,Cii-Chan, becky157689, leroalice, Arcee-chan,YoshidaYukio, gOthiCkUrOcHo69, koreanlover21873, and madhatterthefifth for being aweseome! Thanks for all your support, guys- hope you liked this chapter! ;D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no_ Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC._**

_Graduation day. A day that was filled with students that would suddenly be overwhelmed by nostalgia at realising that their days in the same school were over, who normally ended up weeping their hearts out as they lamented all the lost opportunities and carefree days. There were of course those who were noticeably less emotional about such an occasion- some of whom would either be attempting to seem cool and nonchalant when inside they were secretly bawling, or those who honestly couldn't wait to be over with the hellish school days. Most of the time, such activities would be carried out in groups- after all, misery loves company- and it was rare that any student would choose to spend their graduation day alone._

_Mikoto was one of these rarities. But then again, it wasn't exactly her graduation she was currently attending._

_The girl simply stood by her lonesome on the rooftop of Teiko Middle School, sapphire eyes gazing monotonously out at the scenery of the town. As soon as she'd witnessed Daiki getting his graduation certificate and taken a couple of pictures with him- with a carefully plastered-on smile, might she add- she'd pretty much hightailed it out of the main hall, not exactly eager to stay around such a huge crowd of people for longer than necessary._

_That, and also because she had no intention of seeing any of the other Teiko basketball team's players if she could help it. Or- as they were better known as now- the Generation of Miracles._

_Mikoto scoffed at the thought- how pretentious. She would not deny their skills in the field of the sport, but ever since they had been granted that title, it was like everything had gone downhill from there. One by one, the members began to turn their backs- though on the court they were known as a team, their play was so far from the definition of the word it was laughable. The worst part of it was that only people who still cared about the concept of teamwork and unity were those who couldn't do anything about it, no matter how hard they tried._

_The atmosphere of warmth and happiness in that team had long since dissipated. All of them had changed- not even Satsuki was spared completely. Gone were the days they used to get together and hang out after practice, or the days when they used to laugh together as they jested and fooled around with each other._

_It both hurt and comforted Mikoto when she thought of those simpler times. Simple things- like how Seijuuro used to be kind, or how she used to be able to speak easily with Shintaro- would be enough to warm her heart and break it at the same time. She remembered how Ryota used to be the one that brought his sunny and lighthearted aura, how Tetsuya used to stand by their side as the shadow that lifted them to victory... how Daiki used to smile._

_Halfway through their last year of middle school, Mikoto had cut of almost all contact with the members of the team, save for a select few. She had been the first- Tetsuya did the same soon after when the others went down the same path- he'd even left the club. Though Satsuki stayed on, it could safely be said that even she couldn't feel the spirit of belonging to the team anymore._

_Unconsciously, Mikoto's eyes drifted towards the leather straps around her wrist, her jaw clenching as she stared at her gift; the gift that she had received from those she had thought of as her nearest and dearest friends- her family, even. Back then, she had honestly believed that things would never change for them- that they would always remain close no matter what. But after Daiki's awakening, it had only a matter of time before all of them followed suit._

_This gift was a mockery- a cruel reminder of all that she had lost._

_Gritting her teeth, Mikoto yanked off her bracelet, not caring the least about what the sudden force and tension might do to the accessory. Clutching the leather band in her hand, she raised her arm, preparing to throw the bracelet off the building where, hopefully, she would never have to see it again. She wanted to get rid of this- to get rid of her ties to that team and to that cruel past. But no matter how much she willed herself to; no matter how she tried to force her arm to just let the item fly..._

"I'll always wear this from now on."

_The hand that gripped the bracelet began to shake- lightly at first, and then it trembled such that Mikoto was forced to lower her arm. She clutched at the shaking limb with her free one, but it was no use, the shaking didn't go away. If anything, it seemed to spread throughout her body, and before she knew it, she was on her knees, hugging herself tightly as if she could somehow stop herself from falling apart. No matter how hard she tried to hold them back, the tears still leaked through and coarsed down her face as she wept silently, allowing herself this moment of self-pity and mourning._

_The memory of her birthday surprise, which had once been such a joyous occasion for her- it had even been held on this very same rooftop- was now a cold taunt of what she used to have, rubbing in the fact that they all really had changed and that she would never get those days back. And yet, she couldn't even throw her damned bracelet away. She had become attached, and even when they'd hurt her, she still couldn't let go._

_Even when there was nothing left to cling to._

_As she remembered the wish she had made on the day of that surprise party- that they would always remain together- Mikoto emitted a watery laugh through her tears. She had been such a fool- so naive to believe in such stupid things. Wishes didn't come true. They only fed her false hopes- building up her faith and then crushing it into nothing. Wishes made her believe that they were special and would never let her down... and then they betrayed that trust. Wishes were lies._

_Just like they were._

* * *

Mikoto hesitated as she raised a hand to the doorbell, biting her cheek as her eyes darted back to the front door of the two-storey house before her. It was finally the day she would have to go about her task of tutoring Atsushi, and while she knew she had already arranged this lesson, she honestly considered backing away and telling the boy to postpone their lessons to another day. But then again, she had to do this sooner or later, so she might as well get it over with. Taking a deep breath, Mikoto began to press her finger down on the doorbell...

Only to have the door swing open just before she could ring the bell, nearly smacking into her. Thankfully, all those gymnastics lessons had managed to give Mikoto rather quick reflexes, and she leapt back just in time to avoid getting her face flattened. She really didn't want another bruise to add on to the one on her forehead.

"Can I help you?" A young woman- probably in her early twenties- greeted as she stood in the open doorway, one hand on the doorknob and another on her hip. Mikoto couldn't help but repress a gulp upon seeing the lavender-haired woman- this lady was a giant! She had to be at least two heads taller than she was!

"Uhm, h-hello." Mikoto cleared her throat, before bowing towards the lady. "I'm Murasakibara-kun- uhm, Atsushi-san's schoolmate."

"Atsushi?" The lady raised a brow, her head tilting to the side as she scrutinised Mikoto nonchalantly. Judging from her youth, Mikoto assumed that this must be Atsushi's sister. "He didn't mention any guests."

"Well, I'm sort of his tutor, actually." Mikoto corrected, as she awkwardly adjusted the strap of her book bag.

"Tutor?" All of a sudden, the lady's eyes widened, and her relaxed posture straightened up immediately. "Chibi's been slipping in his grades again?!"

"C-chibi?" Mikoto sweatdropped. That was the last word she'd ever use to describe Atsushi...

"Hey, Daisuke!" The lady called over her shoulder, her voice strict. "Get Chibi down here, now!" After another voice- this one distinctly male- replied with a "Got it!", the woman turned back to Mikoto, and smiled sweetly at the increasingly awkward girl. "I'm sorry, would you like to come in, Miss..?"

"Oh. I'm Mikoto Shirato." The brunette introduced.

"Right. Shirato-san, please come in." The woman nodded, opening the door and gesturing for her to enter. Mikoto did as she was told, and was lead to the living room of the household by the young woman. The place was a lot neater than Mikoto had expected, honestly- not that she assumed that Atsushi lived in a pigsty or anything, but given his laid back personality, she would have expected at least a bit of disorder somewhere. This place was almost... immaculately pristine.

She liked it. A lot.

"You can take a seat while you wait for Chibi to come down." The voice of her host snapped Mikoto's attention away from her observations of the household, and she looked over to see the woman patting a high-backed chair that sat against the wall. The living room was rather orderly- the main couch sat facing the television, while the other seats were arranged around that main setting. Sitting on the main couch was another young man that seemed to be absorbed in some sort of nature programme as he munched on a packet of chips, who bore short, rumpled hair and eyes that were of the same violet shade as the woman's. Even though he was hunched over on the couch, it was still clear that he was very tall.

"Alright." Mikoto nodded, accepting the seat she was offered. Once she had seated herself down, the woman sat on the couch where the young man sat, prompting him to scoot over. He seemed to be several years younger than the woman, and his eyes never even left the screen for a moment as he made space for his sister to sit down.

"I'm Eiko Murasakibara. Oldest of the Murasakibara siblings." Mikoto's hostess introduced herself, before placing a hand on the already messy head of the man to her left. "This one's Junichi- he came along before Atsushi. Second in line is Daisuke- he went to get Chibi for us. We also have Kaname, but he's in Australia getting some fancy education off some scholarship." Eiko snorted at the end, but though she spoke frugally, Mikoto could detect the pride in her voice as she spoke of her younger sibling's achievement.

"'Sup." Junichi greeted curtly, not even sparing a glance at Mikoto. Now this one, Mikoto could believe was related to Atsushi. Eiko seemed completely different from her schoolmate- she had a feeling it was mostly thanks to her that this house was so neat and orderly.

"It's nice to meet you." Mikoto bowed respectfully. "I was unaware that Murasakibara-kun had siblings."

"We don't talk about each other much." Eiko shrugged, leaning back in her seat and making herself comfortable.

"I can see that." Mikoto agreed, but before she could converse any further, a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Not-girlfriend." Atsushi greeted all of a sudden from beside Mikoto's seat, nearly making her jump in surprise. Looking up so far she had to crane her neck back, she met Atsushi's passive gaze with a startled one of her own. "What are you doing here?"

"Study session, remember?" She reminded, standing up so that she didn't have to strain her neck so much to look at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted another boy with slicked back, violet hair heading into the kitchen of the house- Daisuke, she assumed. "We were supposed to start today."

"We were?" Murasakibara raised a lazy eyebrow. "I forgot."

Mikoto's cheek twitched. She'd had a bad feeling he would have forgotten, but before she could respond...

"Oh, Chibi~" Eiko sang sweetly, suddenly appearing beside her youngest brother. Even though she was still shorter than Atsushi, she was still tall enough to reach up and easily grab his ear, pulling it such that he began to bend towards her. "You didn't tell me you were slipping in your grades~"

"Ow. That hurts." Atsushi whined weakly, though his expression remained mostly deadpan. Mikoto had a feeling he got this lecture quite often...

"What did I tell you about making sure your grades don't fall?" Eiko reminded knowingly, her tone still dangerously sweet.

"That you'll ban my snacks if I don't do well." The boy responded monotonously, though his eyes seemed to droop slightly at the reminder. It was almost enough to make Mikoto feel sorry for him.

"Exactly." Eiko concluded in satisfaction. She finally released her brother's ear once that was over, and Atsushi straightened up again as he rubbed at his sore ear- his sister was a dictator. "So make sure you study hard while Shirato-san teaches you, okay?"

"Fine..." He mumbled in response,

"Atsushi has a study desk in his room." Eiko explained on her brother's behalf, nodding towards the staircase. "You're free to use whatever you need."

"Okay. Thank you, Eiko-san." Mikoto bowed again gratefully, before following after Atsushi as he headed up the stairs. She had to admit- she really didn't want to spend more time around Eiko than necessary, or to get on her bad side. That woman was scarily intimidating- she reminded Mikoto a lot of Coach Araki. Poor Atsushi- having to deal with two dragon ladies in his life...

When she saw Atsushi's room, Mikoto nearly had doubled over in shock. It was... perfectly clean. The bed was made neatly, while the books on study desk opposite it were arranged in an orderly fashion. No spare clothes were tossed over the dresser or the chairs, and not a single thing was out of place- there wasn't even anything strewn under the bed!

Was this the right room?

"This is your bedroom?" Mikoto asked, unable to hide the disbelief in her voice.

"Onee-chan doesn't let me eat snacks in here if I don't keep it clean." Atsushi grumbled in response.

"Oh." Well that made sense, then. With Atsushi's permit, Mikoto allowed herself to enter the room. Though she would admit she did feel a bit uncomfortable being in the same room alone with a guy, she had to thank all those years of hanging out in Daiki's own room that had prepared to face this kind of situation without running in the opposite direction.

That, and she had pepper spray in her bag in case anything funny was attempted. And a pocket knife. And a knuckle duster. One could never be too safe.

"So," Mikoto put on her reading glasses as she and Atsushi sat at the study table in the room, the latter leaning his head in his hand as he propped his elbow on the table. "In any case, we should begin. I'll be teaching you for two hours. Where do you keep your exercise books?"

"I don't have any." Atsushi responded simply, reaching into the drawer in the desk as he drew out a candy bar- seriously, did this guy ever stop eating?

"What?" Mikoto exclaimed, her expression disbelieving. Had she heard right?

"I don't have any exercise books." He repeated, opening his candy bar and munching on it as he mumbled. "English is boring."

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"That's it, then. Do you have any questions about what I just taught you?" Mikoto finished as she explained the differences between terms in the English language. Despite Atsushi not having any books, Mikoto had brought a few books of her own to compensate for the lack of study material.

"Nope." He replied, munching on a bar of chocolate- he'd finished up his candy bar earlier, and Mikoto figured that there was no way to stop him from eating while she taught, anyway. As long as he paid attention, she was alright with it- he seemed to be quite the good listener, actually. Maybe this wasn't too bad...

"Alright. Try out this worksheet, then." Mikoto directed, handing said worksheet to the boy. He obediently heeded her order, and once he was done, he handed it back to her.

Mikoto nearly had a heart attack from all the questions he'd gotten wrong.

"Well..." Mikoto stated slowly, unsure how to react to this turn of events. Deciding to start with the first question he'd gotten wrong, Mikoto corrected his mistake. "First off, this is a pronoun, not a noun, Murasakibara-kun."

"Oh."

"Do you know the difference?" Mikoto asked skeptically upon his brief response. Atsushi just shrugged.

"Not really."

"Like I mentioned earlier," Mikoto explained. "A pronoun is shorthand for a noun already mentioned or implied. A noun is how you refer to a specific person, place, or thing. Understand?"

"Hm..." Atsushi looked thoughtful for a moment, as if thinking about what she'd said. He looked like he was beginning to understand, and just when Mikoto thought she'd made some progress...

"Nope." Atsushi shrugged. "I still don't get it."

...

Tatsuya Himuro's attention was diverted from his novel as his cellphone started ringing, his musical ringtone breaking the silence. Perplexed at suddenly receiving a call- he didn't get those often- he rolled onto his side as he lay on his bed, reaching into his pocket as he took out the slim cellphone.

'Mikoto Shirato'

Well, this was unexpected.

"Hello?" He greeted as he answered the call, his curiosity piqued. If he was correct, Mikoto should be at Atsushi's place now, attending to his tutoring. She shouldn't be calling now... unless of course, she was learning just how difficult a student Atsushi could be when the wrong approach was used...

"Himuro-kun, if you don't get here this instant I will hunt you down and drag you here myself." Came the nearly desperate voice that Himuro recognized as belonging to Mikoto.

Tatsuya's lips twitched into a smile. Chalk one up to him again.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

"Okay, next we have adjectives," Tatsuya stated in his calm, patient voice as he sat in another chair next to Atsushi, his pen hovering over the subject he was teaching as he elaborated. "An adjective is used to describe things. Take for example... Atsushi, how would you describe chu-chu popsicles?"

"Sugary." The boy replied almost immediately.

"Exactly." Tatsuya affirmed. "'Sugary' is an adjective- like 'sweet', or 'crunchy' and lots of others. So if you translate it to English..."

"Like this?" Atsushi asked as he voluntarily wrote out the translations of said adjectives, all with the right spelling and grammar. His affinity for spelling words that he was used to associating with his snacks definitely came a lot easier to him compared to other words, it would seem...

"Perfect." Tatsuya nodded in satisfaction before turning to Mikoto, who was seated on Atsushi's other side. "See? It's not that difficult."

Mikoto just mumbled something in response, but Tatsuya was relatively sure that he caught the word "prick" somewhere in there.

"Muro-chin's teachings are easier than Not-girlfriend's." Atsushi drawled simply as he proceeded to work on another worksheet. "She uses too many fancy verbs."

"Whatever." Mikoto grumbled and turned her head away, hiding the sight of her scowl. She so did not use 'too many fancy verbs'!

"Well, at least he knows what a verb is- isn't that right, Shirato-chan?" Himuro commented. Despite the nonchalance of his voice, Mikoto just knew that he was fighting back a smirk, even without looking at him. Restraining a sigh of frustration, the girl lightly rubbed her at her temple with her free hand, hiding the sight of her twitching eye as she did so. She really should consider taping her eyelid in place to stop it from doing that... Or to throw these two guys out the window. That would settle the problem, too...

"So just to round up- Atsushi, why don't you give me another adjective for, let's say... Shirato-chan."

"Bossy."

"Very good. Now, on to the next one..."

If she was going to commit homicide, she had better do it before she pulled out all her hair first.

* * *

"What does this word mean?" Atsushi inquired through a mouthful of potato chips as he pointed at the word he was referring to, prompting Mikoto to lean over to read what he was asking about.

"Oh, 'demolish'." Mikoto read aloud before she elaborated. "It means to tear down, like for buildings and construction, but it can be applied to other areas as well."

"So..." Atsushi mused for a moment, before suddenly clamping a hand on Mikoto's head, startling the girl. Looking up to meet his eye, she tensed up when she observed his lethargic gaze, her discomfort becoming even more evident when he drawled out...

"I'll demolish you." He threatened in a solemn voice. Despite his somewhat poorly-pronounced English, his words were still clearly understandable. Mikoto was inclined to believed he was serious for a moment... until his voice suddenly lightened up and he continued. "Is that correct?"

"U-uh, yeah. I suppose you could do that." Mikoto stuttered out. "But let's just reserve it for buildings, alright?"

"Okay." Murasakibara shrugged in response, removing his hand from Shirato's dark head as he proceeded to continue answering his worksheet. Mikoto just stared at the giant boy with a deadpan expression, feeling whiplash from his sudden change of demeanour. This guy...

"Breathe, Shirato-chan." Himuro reminded Mikoto quietly as he patted her shoulder, though she could hear the entertainment in his voice. "He wasn't serious."

"I know that." Mikoto snapped curtly.

Well, now she did, at least.

* * *

"Well, we'd best be on our way then." Himuro bowed towards the hostess of the Murasakibara household after he and Mikoto had finished their third weekly lesson with Atsushi, the Shirato mimicking his movements as she stood next to him. "Thank you for having us again, Eiko-san."

"Hang on just a sec." Eiko interrupted suddenly as Mikoto and Himuro made to head towards the front door, suddenly halting the two teens' movements by clamping her hands down on their heads. It was a rather easy feat for her to do, given that she was taller than both of them, and she spun them back around to face her before placing her hands on her hips. "We've prepared extra food for dinner tonight- you two are joining us."

"Oh, we don't mean to impose-"

"You two are joining us for dinner." Eiko repeated, successfully cutting Mikoto off before she could finish. Eiko wore a wide smile on her face- one that was eerily threatening despite how it looked. "Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Both Mikoto and Tatsuya responded immediately- the latter with noticeably less fear and meekness than Mikoto. He was used to these sort of women after all those days of training with Coach Araki.

As the two guests sat at the table in the dining hall of the house, Tatsuya took the seat next to Atsushi, Mikoto in turn sitting next to him as well. Opposite them sat the three other siblings of the Murasakibara quartet, and in between them sat mountains of food that were laid out across the table. It was like a feast for giants instead of humans... not that it was wrong to define it as such.

"This is... an interesting turn of events." Tatsuya commented nonchalantly, though Mikoto didn't miss the slight hesitation in his voice as he stared at the large spread before him the table. She didn't blame him- she was a bit intimidated, herself.

"Tell me about it." Mikoto muttered under her breath, before remembering her manners and turning to face her hosts once more. "We thank you for having us."

"Don't be so formal. It's the least we can do for someone who's helping out Atsushi." Daisuke replied graciously, wearing a small smile on his face. During the past couple of weeks since she'd started teaching Atsushi, Mikoto had noticed that Daisuke was actually a lot like his sister- more levelheaded and calm compared to his other male siblings. Of course, height-wise all of them were more or less the same- these guys had really, really prominent height genes, it would seem...

"We're glad to hear that." Tatsuya nodded politely, his manners as immaculate as ever.

"You're from Atsushi's middle school, right?" Daisuke asked Mikoto casually as he passed around the bowls of rice for the meal- both Mikoto and Himuro had to pass theirs back to reduce the portions; the kids in this family could really eat.

"Yes. That's right." Mikoto responded.

"That's strange. I've never really seen you around the couple of times I met Chibi's friends." Eiko commented.

"We weren't very well acquainted." Mikoto explained. It was true- out of all the members of the Teiko basketball team, she had spent the least amount of time in Atsushi's company. Heck, she doubted she had even exchanged more than two sentences with him throughout their three years of middle school, which was ironic, given that she had known the guy's diet and nutritional needs in and out due to her old 'job'...

"I see."

"You know, you look a bit like one of his old teammates." The second oldest of the siblings- Junichi- added, brushing back his long bangs as he spoke through a mouthful of food. Despite his lethargic appearance, he was actually quite observant- a lot like Atsushi. "Hm, What's the guy's name... Hey, Atsushi. What's that ganguro friend of yours called?"

"He's not really a ganguro..." Mikoto defended weakly, not missing the small smirk that Tatsuya attempted to hide with a hand. To be honest, she did have to admit that Daiki did somewhat resemble a ganguro with his dark skin, but that was where the similarities ended. She was just fortunate that her own skin wasn't that dark- it was lighter than Daiki's, but not as fair as most of her other friends were- lest she be placed under that same category as well...

"Mine-chin." Atsushi replied easily.

"Yep. That guy." Junichi confirmed, finally swallowing his food. "The eyes match."

"And that snooty look." Atsushi added, though his words were muffled as he spoke while gnawing on the fried chicken leg he had acquired.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Chibi." Eiko reprimanded, shooting her brother a stern look. Though Eiko had taken quite a bit of food for herself as well, she was the most well-mannered and refined as she ate compared to her other siblings- save for maybe Daisuke, who was a close second.

"It's true." Atsushi justified, not bothering to add on to that as he refocused his attention on his food again.

"Not a single word, Himuro-kun." Mikoto hissed under her breath to the boy next to her, who just exhaled shortly through his nose in response and put on his usual, mysterious smile.

"I wasn't going to say anything." He shrugged, before they all proceeded to eat their meals in relative silence. For a while, Mikoto honestly thought that was the end of all conversation between everyone seated at the table until they finished their food...

But of course, the world loved to prove her wrong.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Eiko inquired casually.

Mikoto nearly choked on her food.

"E-excuse me?" Shirato coughed out, managing to swallow before she could damage her windpipe.

"You know," Eiko gestured to Mikoto and Tatsuya "You two. How long have you been going out?"

"Not-girlfriend is too prissy for that." Atsushi scoffed, not bothering to sugarcoat his words.

"I'm not prissy!" Mikoto snapped, before gaining her composure and addressing Eiko in a more polite manner. "And I'm afraid you misunderstand our relationship, Eiko-san."

"Really?"

"Unfortunately so." Tatsuya responded before Mikoto could answer, earning a surprised look from the girl. To further increase her disbelief, the boy sighed as he continued his absurd statement. "She denies any form of attraction towards me, but I like to believe my persistence will pay off someday."

Mikoto stomped on Tatsuya's foot beneath the table. The cheeky jerk didn't even flinch.

"So it's a one-sided conflictual sort of relationship, huh?" Junichi snorted. "Typical."

"More or less." Tatsuya agreed.

"Mostly less." Mikoto retorted.

"Just hang in there, Himuro-san." Daisuke commented encouragingly. "She'll give in eventually."

"No one's 'giving in' to anything." Mikoto deadpanned, her eye starting to twitch again. Damn that boy and his ability to sway others to his side with his beguiling ways...

"Denial doesn't do anyone any good, Shirato-san." Eiko tutted sympathetically.

"I'm not in denial!"

"That just proves it right." Atsushi jested, just as entertained by the situation as Tatsuya was.

Mikoto was pretty sure she was going to die of high blood pressure before these lessons were over.

* * *

"Move faster!" Coach Araki ordered, her expression firm as she brandished her shinai in a gesture of authority. The members of the basketball team were currently warming up with their regular laps around the gym, and she would prefer it if they would waste less time on warm ups and more time on actual playing- hence the directives she was giving them. "The Interhigh prelims are in less than a month! Now is not the time to slack off!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The members responded immediately, picking up the pace as they were ordered. The coach seemed satisfied with that, but wasn't allowed much time to enjoy it as her phone vibrated in her pocket, alerting her to a new message. Drawing out her cellphone, the coach's eyes quickly scanned the text she had received, before she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Another meeting..." She muttered to herself, sighing as she placed the phone back in her pocket. She then turned to face Mikoto, who sat on the benches and was handling some of the team's usual reports, and called out to her. "Shirato, I need you to overlook the rest of the regimen."

"Understood, coach." Mikoto responded without hesitation, immediately placing aside the paperwork as she got to her feet. After several weeks of dealing with these kind of orders, Mikoto was- begrudgingly- getting used to it. It was annoying, but really, what other choice did she have? Granted, she would admit that she found herself getting rather attached to this job and was rather accustomed to the club's atmosphere already, but it was still frustrating that she was dragged into it against her own will.

Nodding in satisfaction, Masako simply turned around and walked out of the gym, her heels making a clacking sound with each step she took. As soon as the door closed behind her, however, some of the members of the team's second string suddenly took it as a sign to be able to relax a bit, and emitted a sigh of relief as they slowed their pace to catch their breaths...

Unfortunately, that was a mistake.

"Hey! You first-years!" Mikoto's sharp voice suddenly caught said members off-guard, and they froze up in fear when they saw the dangerous expression on Mikoto's face as she barked out her orders. "You heard the coach! No slacking off! Move it!"

They didn't need to be reminded again- they just ran.

"Geez," Kensuke huffed as the members that had just been reprimanded began to catch up to the first string members again- apparently, they weren't too eager to test Mikoto's patience. "She's starting to sound more and more like Coach Araki each day. Maybe she'll become the miniature version of her or something."

"I would prefer it if that were not the case." Liu commented. Though his voice was as monotonous as ever, there was a hint of apprehension underlining it as he voiced his opinion.

"That's a scary thought..." Kenichi shuddered.

"She already limited my snacks during our lessons." Murasakibara lamented poutingly.

"For real?!" The captain exclaimed. Separating Atsushi from his sweets... trying to drown a goldfish would be easier.

"Actually, she just got his sister to do it." Tatsuya corrected. It was no wonder that it worked- Eiko Murasakibara was a terrifying lady that no man in his right mind would defy.

"Oh, that makes more sense."

"Hey, quit slowing down!" Mikoto's voiced ordered once more, the gradually slowing pace of the members as they conversed not escaping her notice. "We're killing time here- work those legs!"

"Yes ma'am!" They all responded automatically.

Perhaps Kensuke's comment about a Mini-Araki wasn't quite wrong, after all.

"So once you have the idea for a topic," Mikoto elaborated as she drew a circle around the mind map she had drawn, advising Atsushi on writing his essays. "You just need to ask yourself these questions when you write so that you can include more things."

"But they're obvious." Atsushi protested. The usual "5 Ws and 1 H" theory seemed pointless to him, really- it was just so basic.

"Even so, you can still use them to give you ideas on what more to write." Tatsuya justified on Mikoto's behalf, knowing that Atsushi was more likely to be convinced by him instead of her. He had noticed that Atsushi was somewhat stubborn and a bit reluctant to accept Mikoto's approaches- not that it was his fault, since she seemed to share the sentiment. If it wasn't for his presence here the past couple of lessons, Himuro doubted that these two would have made any progress whatsoever.

"Sometimes teachers just like seeing more words in the essay. Makes it look intellectual." Mikoto shrugged.

"That's how it is?" Atsushi arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"It is kind of true." Mikoto responded sheepishly. Though she knew what she just worded didn't exactly present a good image for the education system's grading scheme, but she just couldn't really explain the logic behind the way some essays were marked either. "Just make sure you have good grammar to go with it and you're pretty much settled."

"Never thought I'd hear someone like you admit that." Tatsuya commented idly. Mikoto just brushed it off- his jests were a lot easier to handle, recently. She was probably growing accustomed to it.

"Try it out, Murasakibara-kun." The girl suggested, retrieving a new sheet of paper and scrawling out a title at the top before handing it to the violet-haired boy. "Here's a topic- just write one paragraph and let's see how it goes."

"Radioactivity?" Tatsuya read over Atsushi's shoulder, his tone evicting vague surprise.

"It's not a normal topic, I will admit, but I heard you're good with Physics." Mikoto explained, directing the statement at Murasakibara, whose eyes were fixated on the title she had written out. "I figured you'd like to write on something you're more interested in."

"Can I write a whole essay?" Atsushi suddenly asked, lifting his eyes to Mikoto's face. The question seemed to startle her, and she couldn't stop the surprise from showing on her face- that was a much better response than she'd expected.

"O-oh." The girl stuttered a little, before she reigned in her disbelief to appear nonchalant again. "Yeah. You can go right ahead."

"Yay~" Atsushi hummed, his tone almost happy as a lazy smile graced his features. As he began to write out the first paragraph, he paused for a moment as he thought about something, his lips falling into a frown. "Hm, how do you say 'disintegration' in English?"

"You should use your dictionary for that." Mikoto tapped on the dictionary on the study table- that seemed to be the only book Atsushi had that was related to English. "You just look up the kanji for it, and then you search for the word you need."

"But it's troublesome. Can't you just tell me how to spell it?"

"How are you going to learn anything if I feed you the answers? You have to take the initiative."

"Don't wanna."

"Fine." Mikoto huffed, reaching into her bag and drawing out a small, electronic device. "If you don't want to use the traditional dictionary, then I'll lend you my digital one."

"Still troublesome."

"Oh come on!"

Tatsuya couldn't help but give a small chuckle at the scene before him, clearly amused by the interaction between the two teens from such different worlds. Yet despite the difference in their natures and habits, and their constant bickers, he observed that there seemed to be a small change happening each time they interacted- like something was falling into place. With each banter, they somehow seemed to be less antagonistic towards each other, as if the walls were somehow being broken down with each conversation. It was a lot like the development of his own friendship with Mikoto, though in a more... abrasive way.

Perhaps this would turn out a lot better than he'd thought.

* * *

"So, the word 'fancy' can apply to many things, besides a description for elaborate things."

"This one says that it can be used for attraction." Atsushi pointed out as Mikoto explained the word to him, gesturing to the second definition the dictionary stated. After much coaxing and promises for allowing more snack times during their lessons, the violet-haired teen had finally agreed to using the dictionary for other purposes besides just a desk ornament for the past few lessons. And if it wasn't Mikoto's imagination, she was pretty sure that Atsushi was improving rather steadily with his proficiency in this subject, as well.

"That's another use for it." Mikoto agreed. "An example of a sentence would be something like..."

"'Mikoto fancied Tatsuya since she first laid eyes on him'." Tatsuya added when Mikoto paused to think of a sentence, much to her annoyance.

"Could you have thought of a worse example?" She deadpanned, turning to face the raven-haired boy who was lying back comfortably on the bed that lay opposite the desk, tossing a rubix cube up in the air before catching it again repeatedly.

"Ah, I understand now." Atsushi nodded.

"Don't just agree with it like that..." Mikoto sighed, not even bothering to retort properly. She really shouldn't be used to this by now, but she was.

"When was the last time you even 'fancied' a guy, anyway?" Tatsuya inquired curiously as he sat up on the bed.

"Not the point."

"Kuro-chin."

"Who?" Tatsuya started upon Atsushi's sudden statement, not missing the way Mikoto suddenly froze up when she heard that name. The girl spun around to face the underclassman with daggers in her eyes, but Tatsuya also noted the fact that her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

"Be quiet!" Mikoto hissed, boring holes into Atsushi's head with her glare. However, the boy didn't even blink as he continued to fill out his exercise, pretending not to notice her mortification.

"Who's 'Kuro-chin'?" Tatsuya repeated inquiringly. Now this was interesting...

"My old teammate." Atsushi answered without hesitation.

"Stop telling him things!" Mikoto cried insistently, her voice growing desperate.

"She joined the library committee just to get close to Kuro-chin." Atsushi continued, clearly not caring about Mikoto's growing panic.

"How would you know that?" If he and Mikoto hadn't been well acquainted in middle school, it was odd that he would know these kind of things.

"Mine-chin used to tease Kuro-chin about it." Ah, that explained things...

"He what?!" Mikoto exclaimed, her face growing beet red as she heard this revelation. However, her indignance was replaced by shock when something suddenly crossed her mind. "Wait... S-Satsuki-chan was never around when he did, was she?" She asked worriedly, her eyes wide.

"Nope." Atsushi replied casually. Mikoto nearly gave a sigh of relief at that- so Daiki hadn't been that thoughtless, after all. It would have been awkward, to say the least, if the girl had known about her old attraction towards Tetsuya. The whole reason she had backed off in the first place was because of Satsuki- her friendship with the girl had been more valuable than some guy... even if he was pretty cute.

"So it's true, then?" Tatsuya inquired, a hint of teasing in his voice as he placed his hands behind his head and lay back on the bed. "Or are you still in denial about this, too?"

"Alright, alright!" Mikoto admitted exasperatedly, eager to get them to drop the topic. "The last crush I had was Tetsuya Kuroko. Can we move on now?"

"Not-girlfriend still likes Kuro-chin~" Atsushi taunted in a sing-song manner, a teasing smile crossing his features.

"I will ban you from your snacks during our study sessions." Mikoto threatened. That did it- Atsushi shut up immediately. Before Tatsuya could attempt to pursue the subject, however, the sound of a cellphone ringing interrupted him before he could even open his mouth. The ringtone sounded like a song from a hard rock band, and for a moment, he thought it was Atsushi's phone... Until Mikoto suddenly reached into her pocket to retrieve the blaring device.

"Oh, I have to take this call. Excuse me." Mikoto stood up from her seat and exited the room, disregarding the vaguely disbelieving look she received from Tatsuya. "Mom? Yeah, I'm tutoring right now..."

The raven-haired boy gave a low scoff when the girl left the room, shaking his head. Really, to think that even her taste in music would throw him off... one would think that he would be used to these surprises. Ever the cryptic puzzle, that girl...

But he did have one question that kept nagging at him.

"Hey, Atsushi."

"Hm?" The boy turned towards Tatsuya upon his call, silently retrieving a candy bar he'd hidden in his desk and munching on it while Mikoto was out.

"You weren't serious when you said that Shirato-chan still likes this 'Kuroko', were you?"

"Not really." Atsushi tilted his head. "Why?"

"No reason." Tatsuya responded vaguely... Why did he ask in the first place? Either way, he changed the topic without batting an eyelash, raising no suspicions whatsoever from Atsushi. "How good is he at basketball?"

"He's terrible at it by himself." Atsushi scoffed in response.

"'By himself'?" Now that was an interesting statement, Tatsuya mused. He straightened up a little as he sat up, his curiosity piqued. What Atsushi was saying brought a memory to the forefront of his mind- that one time when Shirato had confided her past with him. 'Save for one', she had said... was it Tetsuya Kuroko she had been referring to?

"He's not a normal player."

"How so?"

As Atsushi began to elaborate further on the phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles, Tatsuyapaid close attention, admittedly impressed by what he was hearing. A player that wasn't like the rest; a unique ability that was practically unheard of... it was very intriguing. And to be able to be classified as one of the Miracles despite being unable to score on his own was a most impressive feat- prodigious, almost. But even amidst all this new information, one question still nagged at the back of Tatsuya's mind.

Why had he asked about Shirato's current interest in Tetsuya Kuroko, anyway?

* * *

"Ugh." Kensuke grunted as he unceremoniously plopped himself down on one of the benches in the gym, draping his towel over his head as he leaned back and sighed. "These sessions are killer."

"At least our coordination and teamwork have improved." Kenichi stated optimistically, pumping his fist in enthusiasm as he stood before the rest of his team. "Our defence is impeccable! The Interhigh is going to be a breeze!"

"You forget that we are to face the Generation of Miracles." Liu corrected, his tone bland as he joined Fukui on the bench.

"And the Uncrowned Kings." Tatsuya agreed.

"And lots of other tough opponents." Kensuke concluded.

"I'm trying to motivate you guys!"

"It's not working." Atsushi commented. Well, nothing would ever motivate him when it came to basketball, anyway- he just played it for the sake of doing so.

"Why can't you guys just cut your captain some slack?" Kenichi despaired, his face contorting into a sulky expression. What would it take to get these guys to show a little respect to their team leader...

"Uhm, excuse me." A new, female voice rang out across the court, catching everyone's attentions. Hinata Matsuki was approaching the coach as she toted a large palstic bag in her hands- judging from the sports attire worn over her gymnastics leotard, she must have come here from her own club's practice session. "Sorry about the interruption, Coach Araki, but I have a delivery from Shirato-chan?"

"Go ahead." Masako nodded curtly in response, curious but not questioning anything. The captain of the gymnastics team thanked the coach politely, before casually making her way towards the members of the basketball team.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Hinata greeted courteously, though she inclined her head towards Kenichi in a more friendly manner. "Kenichi-kun."

"O-oh. Hinata-chan." The boy stuttered, before clearing his throat and addressing his classmate in a less uptight manner. "You said you have a delivery?"

"Yeah." Hinata replied, handing the bag she was carrying to Kenichi, who accepted it inquiringly. By this time, some of the other first string members had approached to get a look at what was in the bag as well, and Hinata elaborated further. "Shirato-chan's a little busy with gymnastics today, so she asked me to pass this to you guys."

"These are bento boxes." Kenichi observed as he looked inside the bag. Kensuke- ever the Curious Connie- lifted out one of the aforementioned lunchboxes before and opened it up, peering into it curiously.

"Onigiri?" Tatsuya blinked in surprise, staring at the numerous rice balls lining the inside of the box.

"And plenty of them, at that." Liu noted- it looked like Mikoto had made extra to compensate for Atsushi's enormous appetite, as well.

"Shirato-chan says she's sorry she can't make it for your extra practice, and she hopes this will make up for it." Hinata explained- the basketball team's extra practice sessions clashed with Mikoto's own schedule, thus she was unable to attend most of their practices. This was the first time she'd sent a delivery, let alone sent a messenger to deliver her apologies...

"Are you sure Shirato-chan really said all that?" Tatsuya asked skeptically. The bento was already surprising enough, an apology...?

"Well, not really. It was something more along the lines of this," Hinata admitted, before clearing her throat and imitating Mikoto's deeper, cooler tone. "'Having them slack off during practice because of undernourishment is almost as annoying as not having time to work on my routine.'"

"That sounds more appropriate." A small smirk ghosted Tatsuya's features before it faded just as quickly as it came. Mikoto wasn't one to openly admit any concern for the team- she still grumbled about being coerced into this duty, but it wasn't fooling him.

"So, Shirato voluntarily made these for us..." Liu mused as he chewed thoughtfully on one of the rice balls. That was... oddly initiative of her.

"They're pretty tasty, too." Atsushi commented as he consumed his own onigiri in just a few gulps. Now that he thought about it, the taste of these rice balls were pretty familiar- not much different from the ones Mikoto used to make for him and the others on his previous team...

"In any case, I had best be going, myself." Hinata waved at the group of basketball players, and if Tatsuya's keen eyes were seeing correctly, there was hint of pink tinting her cheeks as she shyly turned to bid their captain goodbye personally. "I'll see you around, Kenichi-kun."

"Right. See you." Kenichi responded shortly, his inexperience with dealing with the opposite gender making itself evident in his hesitant tone. His flustered state seemed to amuse Hinata, who giggled girlishly as she went on her way- much to his embarrassment.

"'Kenichi-kun'?" Kensuke raised an eyebrow at his fellow upperclassman as he munched on an onigiri, his tone suggestive despite his otherwise deadpan expression.

"She's just a friend, is all." The captain replied, averting his gaze as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, and she totally wasn't batting her eyelashes at you or anything." Kensuke snorted, earning an exasperated glare from Kenichi.

As Hinata made her way towards the exit, intending to head back to the gym, she was stopped when Coach Araki called out to her, gaining her attention.

"Matsuki, was it?" Araki asked, her expression one that Hinata was unable to read.

"Yes, sensei?" She responded politely, wondering what business the coach would want with her.

"You're Shirato's captain, is that correct?" When Hinata nodded in confirmation, the woman continued. "Do you perhaps see Shirato leaving your club anytime soon?"

"Not at all." Hinata replied without any delay, her tone absolutely certain. "Shirato-chan may be attached to this club as well, but her loyalty does not change. So I'm afraid that officially, she still and always will be part of the gymnastics team."

"...I see." Masako shut her eyes briefly in understanding, before she glanced back at the young captain. "Thank you for your time then, Matsuki."

"Of course, sensei." Hinata bowed once again, before she took her leave. Once she was gone, Coach Araki slowly turned her gaze towards her team once again, a thoughtful expression on her face as she watched them all partake in the snacks Mikoto had prepared for them. So, Mikoto would never leave her current place in the gymnastics team, even if she didn't hold any position. How would that work, Araki wondered...

"Do you think she takes orders for these things?"

"She does not run a business, Fukui."

"No, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't exploit our resources."

"That's just petty..."

The exchange between the members garnered a scoff from the coach under her breath, and she shook her head as a small, dry smile crossed her face. Her worries didn't matter- this did not change anything.

Mikoto didn't need an official place on the club to be part of the team- all she needed to have was a place in their hearts.

* * *

Tatsuya idly tapped a pencil on the desk as he read through the novel he was holding in his free hand, only pausing to turn a page in the book when necessary. He and Mikoto had started to bring their own work to Atsushi's house to entertain themselves while the boy finished the exercises they gave to him, which normally took a few minutes. However, he did note that these minutes were gradually getting shorter and shorter- slowly, but surely...

"I'm done."

Speak of the devil.

"That was fast." He commented as he shut his novel briefly, moving to check Atsushi's work. Mikoto was currently working on an assignment and was occupying Atsushi's bed as she required space for her work, leaving him at the desk to oversee the younger boy's progress for the most part.

"You've gotten almost everything correct." Tatsuya observed in mild surprise as he finished marking Atsushi's work. "Have you been studying?"

"Sort of." Atsushi shrugged, pulling out a bag of jelly beans as he proceeded to eat his 'reward' for completing his work- as per one of the terms and conditions that had been applied to their weekly sessions. "Not-girlfriend gave me a book to read."

"What kind of book?" Tatsuya asked curiously. He wondered what kind of book Mikoto could possibly have gotten Atsushi to read- that boy wasn't exactly a fan of the literary arts. Was it a classic? A poetry book? Modern literature?

"This one." The boy retrieved a thick book from his bag, which was hanging on the back of the chair he sat in. Intrigued, Tatsuya leaned closer to get a closer look at the title- it was...

"A cookbook?" He deadpanned, his expression falling.

"It's interesting." Atsushi shrugged. Well, he should have guessed. Turning to face his subordinate, Tatsuya raised a quizzical brow at Mikoto, who simply looked up from her work as she returned his deadpan look through her glasses.

"It worked, didn't it?" She asked rhetorically.

...He supposed he could not deny that.

* * *

"Well, that's the last of our study sessions, Murasakibara-kun." Mikoto concluded as she and Tatsuya stood outside Atsushi's front door, preparing to head back home after their lesson. "Good luck for your English test next week- do your best, alright?"

"Got it." Atsushi nodded, as passively lethargic as ever.

"We'll see you around then, Atsushi." Tatsuya saluted as he and Mikoto turned around to begin their walk to the train station, with the latter tossing a wave over her shoulder, as well.

"Bye, Muro-chin. Shira-chin." Atsushi called back in response, his tone unwavering.

"Bye- wait, what?" Mikoto did a double take when she realized what Atsushi had just called her, but when she spun around to face the door again, it was already shut. Had it been just her imagination, or had Atsushi really just called her...

"I guess this means he likes you now." Tatsuya commented off-handedly. Nope, wasn't her imagination, then.

"That's a disturbing thought." Mikoto shuddered as they continued their walk again. Well, at least he wasn't calling her 'Not-girlfriend' anymore...

"You know what I mean." The boy shook his head, prompting Mikoto to raise a curious eyebrow.

"Do elaborate."

"You've stopped being so offhand towards him, so he's doing the same." That earned a surprised look from Mikoto, and Tatsuya simply met her gaze evenly. "Atsushi isn't the brightest individual, but he does notice things, Shirato-chan."

"...I was sort of cold, wasn't I?" Mikoto muttered, kicking a loose rock on the pavement as she walked. Loathe as she was to admit it, she knew he was right.

"Quite."

"Doesn't make me much better than him, huh?"

"Not at all."

"... I didn't like him because he reminded me too much of Daiki." Mikoto admitted quietly after a moment of silence, her expression more solemn than before. Even though Tatsuya didn't respond to that, Mikoto knew he was paying attention. "But after all the time I've spent with him, I realized... What he's like on the court doesn't define who he is as a person." Here, Mikoto gave a short laugh as something crossed her mind, mildly surprising her companion as she continued in a less serious manner. "Well, not entirely. He's still a pompous arse who needs to be taught a lesson or two."

"That assessment was fair enough." Tatsuya chuckled pleasantly. "And what of the others?"

"Fine. All of you are alright." Mikoto scoffed, not needing him to elaborate on who the 'others' were- it was obvious he was talking about the rest of his teammates. However, a light smirk crossed her face as she added on to that statement. "But if Fukui-senpai gets smart-alecky with me, expect the claws to come out."

"I wouldn't worry about that. You're as tame as a house cat." That wiped the smirk off her face.

"Don't make me crush you."

"You stole that from Atsushi."

"So what if I did?"

"You're too short to be intimidating and dangerous... at least, when you're not falling on people. You're pretty heavy."

"Shut up."

Tatsuya just laughed again- a deep, pleasant sound that spurred Mikoto into joining him as well. Honestly, this guy really knew how to turn things to his favour, even against her will sometimes...

Well, she supposed she could live with it. After all, he wasn't all that bad.

* * *

The loud sound of rain splattering onto the ground and roof of Yosen High was the first thing that greeted Tatsuya's ears when he stepped out of school that evening, and the boy emitted a dreary sigh. He'd stayed behind today to finish up some schoolwork in the library, but getting caught by the rain was the last thing he'd expected. The forecast hadn't said anything about rain today, so he hadn't brought his umbrella with him, either. Talk about irony- Himuro scoffed at his terrible luck, holding out a palm to catch some of the raindrops, wondering just how long he'd be stuck here, waiting for the rain to lighten up. It was still pretty heavy- he'd have to wait for quite a while...

"Himuro-kun?"

A voice broke him out of his train of thought, and he turned around to face its owner, knowing full well who that voice belonged to. He just offered a polite half-smile at the brunette who stood before him, greeting her politely. "Ah, Shirato-chan. Practice over for you?"

"Yes. We just finished." Mikoto replied, unhooking her bagpack from over one shoulder as she dug around in it. "Are you stuck here because of the downpour?"

"Yeah. Don't know how long it'll last." Tatsuya sighed, shooting a glance at the grey sky once more. How meddlesome...

"I don't mind sharing my umbrella." Mikoto suddenly announced, catching his attention once again.

"Hm?" The boy started upon her statement, and he returned his silvery gaze to Mikoto, who was shaking out the collapsible umbrella that she had kept in her bag.

"My umbrella is rather big." She continued, opening up the umbrella for emphasis. "It should be enough for the two of us."

"Are you sure?" He asked, albeit surprised that she would offer him this. He knew Mikoto wasn't one for close contact, and though the umbrella was pretty wide, they would still have to stand pretty close to stay under its shade.

"It's better than nothing."

"You do realize we have to stand beneath the same umbrella."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that, Himuro-kun." Mikoto sighed, shooting a vaguely annoyed glance at Tatsuya- much to his bemusement. He knew she caught what he was trying to say, and by not taking back her offer anyway, she had inadvertently given him permission to cross the usual physical boundaries of her comfort zone. He appreciated it, to say the least.

"Alright. But at least let me help with holding the umbrella." He responded, taking hold of the umbrella before Mikoto could protest. The girl seemed startled at his sudden move, but just sighed again when she realized that it would make no difference if she tried to talk him out of it, anyway.

"Fair enough." She complied reluctantly. Tatsuya seemed satisfied with that and made to head out into the rain, but before they could even take three steps another voice interrupted them.

"Shirato. Himuro." Turning around upon being called, the two teens saw Liu just exiting the school building, his expression passive as he put forth his request. "Would you mind sparing some room for me beneath the shade as well?"

"Liu? What happened to your own umbrella?"

"It appears that circumstances have rendered it dysfunctional." The Chinese boy replied, the mildly annoyed look on his face stating that he was rather irked about these 'circumstances'. However he simply regained his usual, serious expression as he asked again. "May I share yours as we venture to the train station?"

"Would you mind, Shirato-chan?" Tatsuya asked, wondering if the owner of the umbrella would mind the company of another. She might not be too comfortable with another person standing so close to her within the small area of shade that the umbrella provided...

And for some inexplicable reason, he found himself hoping that she would turn Liu down. But of course, she was too polite for that.

"No, it's fine." Mikoto replied. Three people were alright, she supposed, and she was pretty well acquainted with Liu to not be quite so bothered with his presence, anyway. No big deal.

"I must thank you for your generosity." Liu thanked graciously as he joined the two under the umbrella. Given how tall he was, he had to bend over slightly to get under the shade, and Tatsuya had the unfortunate luck of having to raise his arm higher than usual to compensate for Liu's height. Thankfully, Liu noticed the mild struggle, and took the umbrella in Himuro's stead. This was alright...

"Yo, Himuro! Shirato!" Right as they were about to leave again, another person stopped them before they could do so. This time, Kenichi and Kensuke were approaching the trio, a pleading look on the former's face. "Mind if we join in?"

"Uhm... I don't know..." Mikoto hesitated, glancing at her umbrella. Five people would be pushing it...

"Please? We're sort of desperate." Kenichi asked, his tone imploring. "I have plans with my family tonight, and we're not sure how long this rain is going to last."

"What's Fukui-senpai's excuse?" Mikoto asked, raising a brow at the deadpan teen.

"I just want to get home fast so I can sleep." He replied. Well, she had to credit his honesty.

"Drop dead." Mikoto retorted monotonously.

"That's mean."

"You're hardly offended."

"I know."

"Just get in before I change my mind." Mikoto sighed, raising a hand to her temple as she rubbed at it again. Really, she was too nice for her own good sometimes...

"Thanks, Shirato-san. We owe you one." Kenichi thanked sincerely, lifting Mikoto's spirits somewhat. At least one of the two seniors were nice. Just when Mikoto thought that was the last of the people she would have to take beneath her umbrella's abode, however...

"Hey, Muro-chin. Shira-chin."

Three guesses who it was. Atsushi suddenly emerged from the school building, toting a bag of goodies with him- where he had acquired those from, Mikoto had no idea. He then shot the two teens a pout as he put forth his obvious request.

"Please?" The boy drawled pleadingly. He didn't need to elaborate what he meant.

Oh for the love of- this was insane. And Mikoto was even more insane for saying yes.

Soon, the rain was invaded by a group of six teens huddling under one umbrella- most of whom were giant-sized males who were way too big for their own good. As if that wasn't bad enough for Mikoto's gradually straining peace of mind, they started fighting over the umbrella.

"Let me hold the thing- I'm getting wet!"

"Shouldn't someone closer to the middle do that, instead?"

"Why do you not allow Fukui to handle it, then?"

"Shortest on the team, remember?"

"Why did I have to let you guys in here..."

"Sorry about this, Shirato-chan."

"It's my own fault anyway..."

"In that case, shouldn't Murasakibara hold it?"

"My snacks will get wet."

"Hand them over to Himuro or something, then!"

"Don't wanna..."

"Just give the umbrella here!"

"No, pass it here!"

"I think it would be best if I were to hold it."

"Um, guys, I don't think it's a good idea to-"

SNAP!

The loud sound of the umbrella handle snapping cut off all bickering as the top of the umbrella- which was providing them their shade- suddenly fell onto the road, having lost the base upon which it sat. The six teens just stared at the broken handle they were all gripping, taking a moment to comprehend what their little tiff had resulted in. By the time their minds finally processed that they were all stuck in the middle of the rain without any shade whatsoever now, all of the basketball team members slowly turned towards Mikoto, who was still staring at the broken handle in disbelief as the rain seeped into her uniform and hair. When she finally shifted her gaze to the boys, however, they all felt a chill run down their spines. Despite her eerily blank expression and her appearance that made her look like a drowned puppy, there was a barely restrained rage burning in those sapphire eyes- enough to make all of them want to run and hide from her like a bomb that was about to explode.

Not that it was too far off the mark.

"...I hate all of you." Mikoto growled. If there was one thing she was absolutely sure of now, it was that these basketball freaks were insane.

And she had to be dragged into this insanity. Life sucked.

* * *

**AN: This early update (well, earlier than I planned, anyway) goes out to RomanticKissez. Happy belated birthday, yo! Hope this serves you well for entertainment purposes, haha! On a side note, I only had Mikoto crushing on Kuroko just to link it to how Himuro heard about him Murasakibara like he mentioned at the streetball game... and also to embarrass her further. Still not sorry. Shout out to my lovely beta reader as well for putting up with all my crap, haha! (EDIT: I called Murasakibara 'chibi' in this chapter because it apparently means 'runt' in Japanese. Who knew, right?)**

**Also, I noticed that this fic has been added to a community (All KnB OC Fics) on FF! To whoever it was that added or suggested for this fic to be added to that community, I am most honoured, and I am very grateful! Thank you very much! 8D**

**Many thanks to RomanticKissez, PhoenixRage92, Forgotten Cross, kissay, Hind-x, Tsuna De Bongola Decimo, Multitules, Csndiexncn (In response to your review: I'm glad you like it so far! Will do my best to keep it up! ;D), chibianimefan26, DOMOfan101, queen6404, Nadeshiko291210, Multitules, Eurwen de Vrill, Land on the stars, Kohanita, aniqa1234, Smilingmona, S. Rune, GeniusPineapple and yuuyas for all your support! Ya'll are awesome ;D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

"Mikoto!"

The sound of her father calling out to her diverted Mikoto's attention as she idly doodled on a small notepad she kept on the counter, and she looked up from the crude drawing she had made of Daiki in a dress- what could she say; the idea of her cousin in drag made an amusing picture. Hajime Shirato was poking his head in from the door to the storage room, wiping his brow with a hand- he had been clearing some space in the back for the arrival of some new stuff in the back. Judging from the sound of a car's reverse alert beeper that Mikoto could hear coming from the open doorway, she assumed that the delivery truck had just arrived.

"I gotta go handle some new imports in the back- take care of the register, all right?" Hajime requested, his breathing slightly heavy from all the exertion of moving things around in the back.

"Gotcha." Mikoto nodded as her father headed back into the storage room, shutting the door behind him. Mikoto casually twirled the pencil in her hand before placing it down on the table- she was done with that doodle of hers, anyway- and planted an elbow on the counterop, resting her chin in it with a sigh. As if sensing Mikoto's boredom, Toshi got up from where he'd previously been lying on the floor, nudging his mistress' leg as he urged her to pet his head. Mikoto just gave a lazy smile as she ruffled her pet's head affectionately, earning a delighted lick on her palm from the German Shepard.

"Eww, Toshi!" Mikoto complained none too seriously, frowning playfully as she lightly flicked her dog's nose. "What did I tell you about doing that?"

Toshi just ignored Shirato's complaints as he hopped onto his hind legs, placing his front paws on Mikoto's lap and lying his head in them, ears drawn back pitifully. Mikoto caved in.

"Oh, you're such a cutie." Mikoto cooed, her lips pursing as she used both her hands to rub her dog's head and flop his ears playfully. "Who's a good boy? You are, yes you are! Such a handsome doggie-"

The sound of the entrance bell ringing cut Mikoto off before she could finish the adoring praise of her beloved Toshi, and her head snapped up to see who had just come in. Much to her chagrin, Atsushi and Tatsuya had just entered the store, the latter staring at her as she ceased all cuddling of her pet- even the dog seemed alert upon the newcomers' intrusion. Judging fron the amusement she just knew she saw in Himuro's visible eye, she was guessing that she hadn't stopped her ardent adoration of Toshi in time to stop them from witnessing it.

The world must really hate her.

"Um, hey. What brings you guys here?" Mikoto greeted casually, straightening up as she attempted to seem nonchalant- as if she hadn't been caught cooing and being altogether sappy as she cuddled her monster of a dog.

"Atsushi wanted to pick up some snacks after our practice." Himuro replied easily, avoiding- thankfully- the issue of Mikoto pulling faces at her dog. "Said there was something new in stock?"

"Ah. Right." Mikoto responded, nodding her head briefly as she shifted her gaze to the huge boy standing besides Himuro, looking as dispassionate as ever. Ever since the last couple of times Murasakibara had come in here knowing about the store's supply of new goodies, she had become accustomed to his presence here- even her dad was acquainted with the store's most prominent snack-buyer, and she didn't hesitate to direct the violet-haired giant to him. "The curry sticks only just came in- we haven't put them up yet. You can head to the back and ask my dad about them, if you'd like."

"Thanks, Shira-chin." Atsushi nodded once, barely batting an eyelash as he made his way towards the door of storage room. Typical- he never was one to interact much when he had a particular goal in mind- especially when food was involved. Atsushi did have quite a one-track mind- it was both an advantage and a flaw.

"First time I've seen you around here." Mikoto commented as she turned back towards the second customer, who just offered her his usual half-smile as he strolled up to the counter.

"You noticed." Himuro replied evenly. He then turned his eyes to the large dog which still had its front paws on Mikoto's lap, its ears pricked attentively as it stared cautiously at the newcomer. "So, this is Toshi?"

"Yep." The brunette nodded, patting said dog's head adoringly. "He looks rough and buff, but he's a total sweetheart. Ain't that right, Toshi?" She directed the last question at her pet, even though she knew full well Toshi couldn't answer. The dog did, however, nuzzle its head against Mikoto's palm, and the girl happily complied to stroking its thick brown-and-black coat.

"You must really love him, huh?" Himuro observed, his own expression softening as he watched Mikoto's face brighten up as she petted Toshi lovingly. She looked more comfortable with her dog than she did with anyone else- Himuro could understand; dogs were very loyal and faithful companions, and one never needed to worry about their dog ever betraying them. If what he knew of Mikoto's past was any indication, betrayal of trust was something that was rife during her earlier years, so this dog must have been the only one she could really trust, even if it wasn't human.

At the back of his mind, Himuro idly wondered if he'd ever be able to gain that level of trust with Mikoto, as well.

"I've had him since I was 13- got him on my birthday. He used to adore Daiki, too... but then he nipped him in the bud last year." Mikoto snorted at the memory. She only loved her dog even more after that incident.

"Does he take kindly to new people?" Himuro inquired as he moved to pet Toshi... before retracting his hand quickly when the dog growled lowly and bared its teeth at him. "Maybe not..."

"Don't rush it- he doesn't like it when strangers approach too fast." Mikoto advised, at the same time scratching Toshi's ears soothingly as she attempted to calm down her wary pet.

"How so?" Himuro asked, quite a bit more cautious of Toshi now. He wasn't particularly eager to see if the dog's bite was worse than its bark.

"Here," In an unexpected move, Mikoto reached out and grasped Himuro's wrist, lightly tugging on it to bring his palm closer towards the dog. Though Tatsuya was admittedly taken aback at the sudden contact, he made no move to retract his arm as Mikoto gently stroked Toshi's head with her free hand, all the while inching his palm closer to the canine.

"Just slowly bring your hand closer..." Mikoto murmured to the dark-haired boy across the counter, who still remained silent as he observed the way she gently coaxed his hand closer to the canine. Though Toshi seemed alert and tense at first, the dog seemed to lower its guard a little as its owner scratched his ears, allowing Himuro's hand to come closer. When his outstretched palm was just inches away from Toshi's nose, Himuro waited with bated breath as the German Shepard sniffed experimentally at his hand...

And eventually nudged his fingers lightly with its nose- a light gesture of permission to let Himuro pet its head. Mikoto beamed upon seeing this new development, and she turned back towards the boy expectantly.

"See? He's alright with you." She pointed out, the grin never leaving her face. She must be quite the animal lover to get this excited over something this small, Himuro noted amusedly. He didn't comment on it though- he didn't want to wipe that rare smile off the Shirato's face so quickly.

"So it would seem." He nodded, scratching Toshi beneath his chin. The dog seemed to like that, as it seemed to take on a more relaxed posture as he did so. Himuro couldn't help but give a light chuckle at that, and even Mikoto's smile widened as she observed the interaction between her pet and her friend. However, when Himuro's eyes flickered briefly to his wrist, Mikoto froze up as she realized something very important.

She still hadn't released his hand.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mikoto exclaimed quickly as she snatched her hand back, a blush creeping up her neck in mild embarrassment.

"It wasn't a problem, really." Himuro reassured, the redness that tinged Shirato's cheeks not escaping his keen observation.

"Even so, I apologize." Mikoto muttered, her eyes darting away as she attempted to maintain her cool.

"Did it really bother you?" Himuro raised an eyebrow in a playfully coy manner, resting his elbows on the countertop as he leaned closer. "You know, you have really soft hands." He commented, watching to see how she would react.

"Don't be creepy." Mikoto responded shortly. She didn't even flinch when he leaned forth, instead she just met his gaze passively. Himuro had to admire her ability to switch masks so quickly- she was pretty good at it. Not nearly as good as he was, but it was still commendable.

"Not flustered in the least?" Himuro raised an eyebrow. His occasionally flirtatious inputs still didn't throw her off- if anything, it was more of an amusing game for him to try and catch her off-guard with one such comment.

"Not at all."

"You're awfully cute when you lie about your attraction to me."

"Toshi, attack."

"Miko," A woman's voice interrupted the two teens as they bantered- thankfully, Toshi hadn't taken his master's command seriously and Himuro wasn't in the process of being mauled by the large canine. A woman with short, deep blue hair and tan skin entered the store just then, brushing off some dust from her sleeve as she did so. "Where is your father? I told him to-"

Megumi Shirato cut herself off in the middle of her sentence when she suddenly caught sight of the young man leaning against the counter, who looked to be about her daughter's age. Having looked up at her upon her entrance, she could tell that she'd interrupted the two teens in a middle of a conversation. The boy was also leaning quite close to her daughter across the counter- if Megumi didn't know any better, she would have immediately assumed the boy to be Mikoto's beau.

But of course, that would only be wishful thinking on her part.

"Oh, hello. Miko, is this your new friend?" Megumi inquired, her blue eyes observing Himuro curiously as she approached the boy- Tatsuya noticed immediately that the woman bore the same eyes as her daughter, as well as some of the same delicate features. Before he could respond, however, the older woman continued.

"He seems like quite a nice young man...if not for that unruly hair." Megumi concluded, raising a disapproving brow at the seventeen year-old. Himuro could now see where Mikoto got her neat tendencies from.

"Mom-"

"Thank you, ma'am." Himuro cut in smoothly as Mikoto was about to reply. He then bowed politely towards Mikoto's mother, speaking in a calm, even tone. "I'm Tatsuya Himuro. It's a pleasure to finally be able to meet one of Shirato-chan's parents. Pardon my boldness, obasan, but I must say- I can see where she inherited her good looks from."

"Excuse me?" Mikoto deadpanned, staring at Himuro in disbelief. What was he playing at?

"I take it back- the hair is excusable." Megumi corrected immediately.

Oh hell. Now she knew what he was playing at.

"I am honoured that you think so, obasan." Himuro responded humbly, his half-smile giving nothing away as he addressed the older woman.

"Can you cook?"

"I am quite proficient."

"Good-looking, polite, experienced with household duties..." Megumi nodded to herself, before she solemnly turned back to her daughter. "This one is a keeper, Miko. I'd say he's better husband material than Kuroko-kun."

"M-mom!" Mikoto flushed bright red at her mother's insinuation, much to Himuro's amusement. Leave it to parents to be able to embarrass their kids so easily- even someone as stoic as Mikoto wasn't spared.

"I must thank you for the compliment." Himuro interjected, pulling off his calm facade flawlessly.

"Don't encourage this!" Mikoto hissed, glaring at the boy. Pulling this kind of stunt anywhere else, she could tolerate. Around her mom, though...

"Oh? But this is too much fun." Himuro responded innocently, amusement lacing his voice.

"You sadistic bas-" Mikoto trailed off for the briefest of moments when she saw her mom shooting her a pointed look, and she quickly changed her course of speech. "...ketball player."

"Nice save." Himuro muttered under his breath.

"Shut up." Mikoto responded just as quietly, wishing for all the world that she could just smack the boy.

"In any case, I have to go see to your father." Megumi announced suddenly, moving to head towards the storage room. Before she did so, she waved once more at her daughter's friend. "It was nice to meet you, Himuro-kun."

"It was nice to meet you too, Shirato-obasan." Himuro returned politely, bowing towards her once more. Once Megumi shut the door behind her and disappeared from sight, Himuro turned back towards Mikoto once more. "Your mother seems like a nice woman."

"She's just waiting for me to hop aboard the train to marriage life and to start producing grandchildren for her." Mikoto sighed heavily. As much as she loved her mom, she really did wish that all and any form of not-so-subtle hints about her single status would cease. Mikoto still shuddered whenever she remembered that one time her mother had asked her point-blank if she wasn't actually interested in men at all.

Daiki had nearly suffocated from laughing too much that day.

"I could help with that." Himuro suggested teasingly, raising an eyebrow at Mikoto.

"One more comment like that and I really will sic Toshi on you." Mikoto responded without missing a beat. Himuro just laughed good-naturedly- she didn't even blink at that comment. Teasing her never got old, especially when she seemed almost immune to flirtations of any sort. Though... he did wonder if there would ever be a way for him to get a rise out of her, somehow...

"Will you be stopping by for one of our matches during the prelims next week?" Himuro asked casually, making normal conversation as he waited for Atsushi to return from his snack-collecting. Given how long he was taking, Himuro guessed that he was harvesting a couple more goodies out in the back in addition to the curry sticks he wanted.

"If I can." Mikoto replied. Even if she did hang around the basketball team often, it didn't mean she was free to tag along to every match they played.

"I'll keep an eye out for you amongst my 'thousands of fangirls' when you do, then." Himuro commented off-handedly, quoting from that one conversation he'd held with Shirato once.

"You probably won't find me." Mikoto shrugged in response.

"Oh, I think I will." Himuro replied nonchalantly, though the subtle challenge that Mikoto had just put forth sparked his interest.

"No, that's highly unlikely." Mikoto insisted, raising a brow at the boy. Evidently, she sensed the dare in his words, too, and wasn't willing to submit to it.

"I don't think you can hide from me." Himuro responded, the gears in his mind began to turn as an idea began to formulate in his head.

"I think I can."

"How sure are you?"

"Completely."

"A bet, then." Himuro challenged, earning a somewhat startled look from Mikoto.

"A bet?" Mikoto repeated incredulously. Though that had surprised her, it had gained her full attention.

"If I can spot you in the crowd during one of the matches you attend, then I win." Himuro answered simply.

"How will I know if you spot me?" Mikoto asked skeptically.

"Oh, don't worry about that. You'll know." Himuro responded vaguely, though his eyes bore a confident gleam as he placed his chin in his hand and leaned his elbow on the counter again. "So? How about it?"

Now, this was a blatant provocation- it was obvious he wanted to get a reaction out of her. Any idiot would have been able to see it, and everyone knows that when someone offers a bet, the odds were that they thought they had an advantage, or at least a higher chance of winning. Against someone like Himuro- who Mikoto knew for a fact was a lot more crafty and conniving than he let on- the odds were even less likely to be in her favour. Anyone who had even the slightest bit of common sense and instincts of self preservation would have backed out...

"Fair enough. What are we betting?"

Unfortunately, Mikoto was a proud creature, and she did not believe in backing out.

"Name yours, first." Tatsuya replied smoothly, struggling to maintain a straight face as he smothered the smirk that threatened to grace his lips. Mikoto seemed to ponder this for a moment, thinking hard about what to place on her part of the bet. It would have to be worthwhile- something that would really prove difficult for Himuro to do...

Her eyes fell upon the doodle she'd drawn earlier, and inspiration struck immediately.

"If I win, you have to put on one of my uniforms and wear it around school the whole day." Mikoto finally decided, her eyes darting back to Himuro. "And you'll be wearing makeup to go with it."

"Deal." Himuro replied easily, not even showing the slightest bit of worry upon her outrageous suggestion. Damn, she had thought for sure that would have taken him aback...

"You must be pretty confident to accept that so easily." Mikoto observed, raising a dark eyebrow curiously.

"That's because I'm going to win." Himuro stated matter-of-factly, sounding absolutely sure of himself.

"And if you do?" Mikoto inquired lazily as she reached for her water container, downing a few gulps as she waited for Himuro to contemplate his end of the bargain. Crossdressing definitely wouldn't be it- it just wasn't the same with girls. Maybe he would get her to announce her dreams from the school roof in the middle of assembly or something equally insane...

"You have to go out with me."

Mikoto nearly spat water into his face.

"E-excuse me?!" Mikoto coughed out, wiping her mouth roughly with her hand before shooting Himuro a scandalized look- even Toshi growled upon his mistress' sudden exclamation. What on earth was Himuro playing at? Was he insane? Did he hit his head on something when she wasn't looking?

Amidst all her horror, Mikoto acknowledged at the back of her mind that her mom would have done a backflip in joy and thrown a party in commemoration if she'd heard what he'd said- possibly Matsuki and Momoi, too.

But she digressed.

"I meant a normal outing between friends, Shirato-chan. I don't intend for it to be of the romantic sort." Himuro reassured, the smirk that threatened to cross his face becoming even harder to smother- finally, he'd gotten a reaction. "Unless of course, you want it to be so."

"You're starting to creep me out again." Mikoto warned, her expression becoming deadpan once more- though this time, it wasn't quite as blank as it was before. His request must really have affected her, Himuro noted with barely concealed satisfaction. Perfect.

"So, do we have an agreement?" Himuro asked, before his voice took on a more mischievous tone. "Or are you too chicken?"

"I'm not Murasakibara-kun. That won't work on me." Mikoto turned her head away, feeling somewhat offended. What did he take her for; an idiot? She would never fall for that-

"So you _are_ scared, then?"

Mikoto's eye twitched.

"We have a deal." She followed up firmly. Were Himuro more emotive, he might just have broken out into a sly, confident grin. Instead, he just maintained his composure, settling for his usual half-smile. If only she knew...

"Muro-chin's gonna win." Murasakibara's voice came out of practically nowhere, startling both Himuro and Mikoto- the latter nearly jumping out of her seat while Himuro just blinked in surprise. They'd been so caught up discussing the terms and conditions of their deal that they hadn't even noticed when Atsushi had returned from his venture, carrying a load of snacks and sweets in his arms.

"You're siding with him now, Murasakibara-kun?" Mikoto asked, somewhat miffed that the boy would have so little confidence in her.

"Yep." Atsushi replied simply.

"I could charge you extra for those." Mikoto threatened, but the pitiful face Atsushi pulled made her retract her words."...But I won't."

"Shira-chin is the best." Murasakibara complimented half-heartedly as he placed his items on the counter for Mikoto to check out.

"You're not getting a discount for sucking up to me."

"Shira-chin is a miser."

"How much did my dad say one of these cost?" Mikoto asked as she lifted up one of the newer imports, choosing to ignore Atsushi's last comment.

"80 yen." He replied easily. While most people would have gone back to check if he was being truthful, Mikoto just nodded and checked out the item anyway- if there was one thing she had to admire about Atsushi, it was that he was rather honest despite his seemingly simple-minded ways. It was a trait she deeply respected in a person.

"Right." Mikoto answered, before she asked idly. "Your sister asked about toothpaste the other day, right?"

"Yep."

"Tell her we're getting a promotion next week- two packs for the price of one. She can pick it up then."

"Mm. Okay." Murasakibara nodded lazily. Once all his items had been checked out and he was offered the bill, he simply fished out his cash and handed it to Mikoto without batting an eyelash- after he'd seen some improvement in his last English test, his sister had allowed him full access to his allowance again. Hence, he no longer needed to hesitate when it came to splurging on snacks once more.

"Thank you for your patronage." Mikoto said politely as she accepted the money, depositing it in the cash register as her two schoolmates headed for the door again.

"Well, we'll see you around, Shirato-chan." Himuro called, raising a hand in farewell. Even Murasakibara offered a quick nod as he didn't hesitate to open up a pack of the new curry sticks he'd gotten- manners could come later; his snacks were his top priority. Mikoto just gave a knowing smile and shook her head, returning her friends' goodbyes with a wave of her own.

"See you!"

* * *

"...Muro-chin is scary with that expression." Murasakibara commented out of the blue as he walked alongside his teammate to the station, earning a glance from the raven-haired boy. To any onlooker, Himuro would have seemed like any other teen as he walked down the street- perfectly normal with nothing out of place. However, Murasakibara knew better than that- there was a glint in Himuro's grey eyes, as if he was thinking up some devious scheme in his mind.

Given what he'd overheard in the store, Murasakibara was pretty sure that was exactly what Himuro was doing.

"What do you mean?" Himuro asked innocently, though he knew full well what Atsushi was inquiring about.

"That." Murasakibara mumbled out as he stuck another curry stick in his mouth, before pointing at Himuro's expression. "You look like you're planning something evil."

"Maybe I am." Himuro answered vaguely, not offering any further elaboration as he briefly shut his eyes in contemplation.

"Are you sure you're gonna win the bet with Shira-chin?" Murasakibara raised a lavender eyebrow, tilting his head at Himuro as he watched his expression closely.

"Positive." Himuro replied nonchalantly. And then, he finally allowed the smirk he'd been holding back to form on his lips as he opened his eyes, the confident glint in them very much clearer than it was before. "After all, I have a plan."

Murasakibara couldn't help but join in with his own smug, lazy smile upon hearing that. Even if he was on good terms with Mikoto now, he had to admit...

"Scary."

...She had dug her own grave with this one.

* * *

**AN: Heads up, guys- it might be a while until the next chapter (not that I was updating thing much originally anyway pfft). Will try to get back ASAP, so bear with me, guys! EDIT 18/8: Not sure if any of you noticed, but somehow a couple of sentences in chapter 9 where I touch on Murasakibara's third brother when Eiko does the introduction was not saved when I edited it (internet malfunction during time of editing), so it kinda left a plot hole. Forgive me for not noticing this earlier- the slip has been fixed!**

**Shout out to S. Rune, lostinthefridge, Eurwen de Vrill, Forgotten Cross, RomanticKissez, LeoInuyaka, Multitules, BlazeMary, SnowstormX, MasaYumm, 1827alouette6927, darkxXxflames, Aku Tora, Teawanese, StarRose101, Ynnah, saradaprato94 and MethodicChaos! Thanks, you guys- it means a lot to me ;D**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.

**-x-x-x-**

**4.40 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**Hey, Miko-chan! :] How's it been?**

**-x-x-x-**

**4.43 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**I think I got swindled into becoming the unofficial manager for a bunch of basketball-playing idiots. Other than that I'm fine.**

**-x-x-x-**

**4.45 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**In other words, nothing's changed? =P**

**Is Mu-kun giving u a hard time?**

**-x-x-x-**

**4.47 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**Basically. And actually, he seems to be warming up to me. As in, he doesn't want to crush me anymore. I think. I can't tell.**

**-x-x-x-**

**4.50 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**LOL that's normal. Don't worry, Miko-chan! You'll be a gr8 manager! ^w^**

**-x-x-x-**

**4.54 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**I'm not their manager- I would end up killing all of them if I was. Starting with Himuro-kun.**

**-x-x-x-**

**4.57 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**Ooh, who's 'Himuro-kun'? Is he your new fancy? ;]**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.01 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**No. Ew. Shut up.**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.04 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**Oh, u're no fun, Miko-chan :c**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.06 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**If you knew him personally, you'd be disgusted, too.**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.10 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**But do u think he's cute? ;]**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.22 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**Miko-chan?**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.36 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**MIKO-CHAN.**

**-x-x-x-**

**5.55 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**ANSWERRRR.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.21 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**Nvm. I got Himuro-kun's number from Mu-kun. I'll just text him instead.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.21 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**SATSUKI MOMOI I WILL MURDER YOU.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.25 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**I lied haha! ;P**

**So u do think he's cute!**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.27 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**Absolutely not.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.27 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**Okay maybe just a little.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.28 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**But he's an arrogant jerk and that overrides everything.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.28 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**And his hairstyle is terrible.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.31 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**U totally have a thing for him ;]]**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.35 p.m.**

**Sender: Kuudere-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**No. Ew. Shut up.**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.37 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Kuudere-chan**

**You're such a tsun, Miko-chan xD**

**I'm changing your contact name after this!**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.39 p.m.**

**Sender: Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**

**Recipient: MomoxKuro**

**What's a tsun?**

**-x-x-x-**

**6.42 p.m.**

**Sender: MomoxKuro**

**Recipient: Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**

**...U're kidding, right?**

**-x-x-x-**

* * *

A loud electric guitar solo courtesy of her ringtone was the first thing Mikoto woke up to that Sunday morning. Shirato's head jerked from her pillow upon the sudden loud noise, and she promptly hit the back of her head on the wall against which her bed sat. Mikoto just gave a long, loud groan as she rubbed the back of her throbbing skull, the impact having been enough to shake her out of her groggy state. Unfortunately, she didn't have a lot of time to wallow in self pity, as her phone continued to blast her rock song ringtone. The girl sighed as she grabbed her phone off her bedside table, not bothering to get up or to look at the caller ID as she answered the call.

"Hello?" Mikoto answered groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Good morning, Shirato-chan." A smooth, level voice answered from the other end of the line, doing little to alleviate Mikoto's annoyance. "Just got up?"

"Himuro-kun." Mikoto grunted in response, not bothering with manners when she was sleepy and forcefully awakened. "What do you want?"

"Not a morning person, are we?"

"Hanging up now."

A deep, throaty chuckle was all she got in response. Clearly, Himuro knew she wasn't going to hang up, despite how much she would have liked to just to prove him wrong. Mikoto just let her face fall back into her pillow, suppressing a groan of exhaustion. This guy was infuriating...

And it wasn't even noon yet. This would be the death of her.

"Are you coming to watch our team today?" Himuro asked once he'd solemned up a bit, getting to his main purpose for calling her so early in the morning.

"Maybe." Mikoto responded, her voice somewhat muffled by the pillow. The Interhigh matches had started earlier that week already, but due to her schoolwork and gymnastics over the weekdays, she had been unable to attend any of the matches during the first week. However, that didn't stop Araki from getting her to prepare food for the team for their matches later in the day, ordering her to rewatch all the recordings of other teams, as well as to make any additions to the observation notes that they already had in preparation for future matches.

Mikoto would never underestimate the capabilities and importance of team managers ever again.

"That's a yes, then." Himuro deduced, a satisfied tone to his voice.

"How would you know?" Mikoto asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowed as she lifted her head from the pillow.

"If you weren't, you would have said so directly." Himuro responded simply. Darn it- he was right.

"Hmph." Mikoto grunted, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of having her acknowledge the truth of his statement. But of course, he already knew he was right.

"Remember our deal, Shirato-chan." Himuro reminded- she could almost hear the cockiness in his voice. "One date."

"It's not a date." Mikoto corrected as she rolled onto her back, glaring at the ceiling as she spoke. "And don't forget the skirt, either."

On the other end of the line, Tatsuya Himuro just lowered his eyes to the floor, a smirk gracing his features as he heard Shirato's response. She really didn't know what she'd signed up for... but he did, and he was all too ready to put it into effect. He was prepared to do anything and everything to satisfy his rise to the challenge of breaking her poker face- after all, who else knew the inner workings of such a person but he?

Besides... he wouldn't mind winning the prize that came with his end of the bet.

"I look forward to it."

* * *

The Interhigh preliminaries of the Akita prefecture were being held in the capital- that is to say, Akita city- and thus the stadium they were using was in pretty close proximity to where Mikoto resided. It was most convenient for the girl's travelling purposes, and made for very easy and time-saving journeys there and back.

On the downside, where there was a stadium where a competition was held, there were bound to be people.

Azure eyes scanned the crowds of people milling around the spectator stands, seeking out an empty spot amongst the rows and rows of seats. Though there weren't as many people watching the prelims as there normally would have been for the actual Interhigh, it was still enough to make Mikoto tug uncomfortably on the collar of her grey, hooded jacket, grimacing ever so slightly at the sight. Now she remembered why she hated watching live matches from the seats- she would have so liked to have remained standing somewhere at the back...

But then, she couldn't do that today. Not if she wanted to be spotted so easily by a particularly annoying prick of a basketball player.

Forcing down a frustrated sigh, Shirato pulled down the front of her hood as she headed towards an empty seat that she had spotted, trying to conceal her face a little more. The bangs that normally framed her face whenever she pulled back her hair were now pinned back to conceal the brown tresses from sight- even though she was aware that her features weren't all that outstanding as they were, she still wanted to reduce every possible chance Himuro had of actually managing to recognize her in this huge crowd of spectators while remaining as inconspicuous as possible. She couldn't take any risks with that guy...

Glancing at her wristwatch, Mikoto noted that the match was going to start in another ten minutes, leaving her with a bit of free time to herself. Mikoto just glanced around as she twiddled her thumbs, unsure of what to do to kill time. That was all solved quickly, however, when her cellphone buzzed, announcing the arrival of a new message. Vaguely surprised, Mikoto took out the device... and was thrown even more off-guard when she saw who it was from.

"What...?"

**-x-x-x-**

**2.05 p.m**

**Sender: Shintaro Midorima**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**Cancer ranked lowest in Oha Asa today. Your lucky item is a blue notebook. Female Cancers should be especially cautious of Scorpios, as they will be a source of great misfortune.**

**-x-x-x**

Mikoto blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing right, even smacking her cheeks lightly to make sure she wasn't dreaming for good measure. Nope- still awake. But that meant...

Shintaro Midorima- the ever serious, stoic, green-haired 16 year-old as well as fellow Cancer - had sent her a text message for the first time in almost a year. And given what he'd sent her... could he possibly be worried?

She was highly tempted to smack herself harder again this time to _really_ make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Shirato stared at the message a little longer, her eyes running along the lines of the short text. Though she knew that it was most likely quoted almost word for word from Oha Asa, the intention behind the message was still nostalgically moving. She used to get a few of these updates from Midorima back during their Teiko days, but once he'd achieved the peak of his basketball skills, they grew more and more rare until they all but stopped. Even though Midorima had been the one who had changed the least out of all of them, this sudden act of kindness- no matter how little- was still enough to startle Mikoto. Without even noticing it, Mikoto slowly began to smile, her eyes lighting up as she realized the full weight this simple message carried.

Midorima was still concerned for her wellbeing.

Almost feeling lightheaded upon such a positive thought, Mikoto kept the smile on her face as she typed out her response.

**'Thanks for the heads up, Midorima-kun. I really appreciate the concern ;]'**

Barely a few seconds later, she received a reply.

**'I accidentally sent you the note I made of Oha Asa's result today. That is all there is to it. However, you should consider taking the note into account, as well.'**

Mikoto couldn't help it- she gave a giggle under her breath upon reading the answer she received, typing out a quick reply. Really, Shintaro was always so shy about being nice- what was that word she heard Satsuki use... Tsun? Whatever. Ironically, she did have a blue notebook, but she'd left it at home under the assumption that she wouldn't need it while she was here. Plus, she never really did believe in all these superstitious things about 'good luck' and whatnot...

_"The first match of the Interhigh second round will commence now." _A voice on the loudspeakers announced, prompting Mikoto to look up from her phone in surprise. Had it been ten minutes already?_"Teams Yosen and Akitakogyo, please assemble on the court."_

Right on cue, the doors leading onto the court opened, the two teams making their way onto the playing field as the crowd clapped and cheered for their teams. Some of them even carried banners rooting for their respective teams- Mikoto recognized some of her schoolmates in the stands as well.

"Hey, hey! It's starting!" The eager comments of the spectators began as the players stepped into view, all of them marvelling and both the old and new faces.

"Look at that guy. He's cute, isn't he?" A female voice commented to her companion, nearly prompting Mikoto to scoff. She had a good feeling she knew just who that was referring to...

"Whoa, that's the guy from the Generation of Miracles!"

"So huge..."

It didn't take a genius to know who those guys were marvelling at.

"Sanada-senpai, good luck!"

"Shinji-san, you can do it!"

Sanada, Ryosuke. Mikoto's gaze slid over to the player whose name she recognized as belonging to the captain of Akitakogyo's team. From the research she'd done, she knew the eighteen year-old was also a pretty good point guard, with coordination worthy of such a position. His speed was his most powerful weapon, as shown by his ability to break past screens with relative ease. However, he wouldn't be't too much of a threat to Yosen's team- Fukui would be able to hold his own just fine.

Taruma, Shinji. Now this one- Mikoto knew from watching videos of his previous plays- was quite skilled. Research showed that he was pretty good at catching rebounds and scoring- as per his position as a centre- and his stature made him rather formidable in defense of his respective area. Compared to the giants on Yosen's team, however, she doubted it would take much to overwhelm this guy- though his with his skill, he could still prove to be a challenge.

All in all, Mikoto was pretty sure of the outcome of this match. Given some of the more talented players of Akitakogyo, the first string members of Yosen would probably be included, too. However...

Here, Mikoto shot a glance back at her own team- staring particularly at Yosen's double aces. As new players to the team, they could prove to be a great asset in terms of surprise. Coach Araki would probably have advised them not to use too many of their techniques if they could help it- the less the opponents had to use to research their aces' capabilities, the better. Mikoto idly wondered if the new shot Himuro had been working on had been perfected in time- she knew he was working on it, but even she hadn't seen it in action yet...

The girl nearly jerked upright in her seat when she caught sight of said boy's silvery eyes sliding across the stands- she'd almost forgotten about their bet! Thankfully, she caught herself just in time to keep her composure, and she held her breath as she prayed that her disguise worked. His keen eyes moved from row to row, slowly approaching her seat as he strolled almost casually onto the court. Almost there... he was getting closer...

His eyes fell on her.

Mikoto's heart nearly stopped.

And then they continued onto the next seat.

Shirato wanted to sink into her seat in relief. But it was too soon to celebrate- they hadn't even begun the match yet.

No matter, though, Mikoto thought to herself, reaching up and tugging at her hood again as she recalculated her odds in this bet. He'd failed to recognize her on first sight, so that was a good sign. However, he would not be so easily deterred- he was bound to keep watching the stands whenever he could. All she had to do now was control her body language and movements to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to herself- that in itself wouldn't take much effort in her part at all...

A small smirk tugged at Mikoto's lips. This was going to be a breeze.

* * *

Okay, she took it back. Maybe it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. But still easy enough- at least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Mikoto currently had her arms crossed over her chest as she sat rigidly in her seat, forcing herself not to flinch too visibly or to cheer whenever one of Yosen's players made an impressive shot or defended expertly- as expected of the Shield of Aegis. Watching them play an actual match on the court and watching them practice were almost two completely different things- their passion and energy was almost palpable to Mikoto, even from all the way up here in the stands. She didn't understand how half the stadium could remain so calmly seated in their seats- even if it wasn't an extremely intense match, or one that seemed to be extremely challenging, the spirit the players were putting into the game was just magnificent.

They all wanted to win. They all wanted to make it to the Interhigh and to make their teams proud. But there could only be one, and looking at the scoreboard, it was obvious who was taking this match.

17-0

With Yosen in the lead.

But even with such an overwhelming difference in scores in such a short amount of time, Akitakogyo's team was still putting everything they had into the game, determined to try their best to at least make one basket for their team. It was admirable- Mikoto greatly respected the opponents for their unyielding effort, and was equally proud of her own school's team members for treating them with respect by not holding back.

Well, almost all of them.

Mikoto winced visibly when Murasakibara easily stopped another shot from entering the basket- he barely even seemed to be trying! That was the only thing that tainted Mikoto's excitement over watching her first live match in months- the fact that Murasakibara still aimed to crush his opponents while exerting as little effort as possible to demean their skills and will to fight. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was when he was on Teiko's team- his current teammates were not on the same level as him to afford such play, after all- but it still gnawed at Mikoto's mind whenever she witnessed the ace playing...

But then there was the other ace that demanded just as much attention.

The girl watched in fascination as Himuro retrieved a pass from Fukui- the blonde had managed to break past a block from his opponent to hand over the ball; a very strategic pass, as expected from their point guard- and dribbled a ways past his opponents before stopping at the three point line. In one swift movement following his minuscule pause, his knees bent and he jumped, his arms moving in sync to produce a concise arc in which the ball was cast from his hands.

When the basket he'd shot finally went in, Mikoto had to stop herself from exhaling in a huge 'whoosh'. She couldn't pry her eyes away from the raven-haired teen as he maneuvered gracefully through the court, surpassing every opponent that got in his way. Mikoto had noticed Tatsuya's distinguished playing style before, but now that she could see him playing at full force, facing down his opponents with the full intention of winning...

He was beautiful. There just wasn't any other way to describe it.

It was the first time Mikoto had ever thought something like that about a person's playing style- not even amongst the Generation of Miracles was there a player like Himuro. But even amidst all this admiration, Mikoto could tell something was very different about Tatsuya. It wasn't exactly something one would be able to tell on first sight, or something that one could see if they weren't already well-acquainted with the true talent that existed in the basketball universe... but it was there.

However, that didn't matter to Mikoto- his graceful, unique play was no less spellbinding. The nearly unpredictable movements, the effortless sophistication and smooth coordination, that confident air he seemed to exude in such a subtly overwhelming way...

...

Okay. She was admittedly a bit impressed now. But only a bit.

* * *

As the first quarter ended, Tatsuya Himuro ran a hand through his hair, heaving a small sigh as he caught his breath. That match had hardly worn him out, though- these guys weren't too much of a challenge, though some proved to be tougher than others. Despite the couple of notable players in the opposing team, however, the numbers on the scoreboard clearly showed the difference in their skill levels- 26-0, with Yosen leading.

The dark-haired boy took this opportunity to run his stormy eyes across the large stadium as he watched the spectator stands particularly closely, wanting to see if he might be able to catch a glimpse of the girl he'd made a bet with. While he had known full well that she would hardly make it easy for him to find her amidst the crowd, he figured it was still worth a shot. Even as he made his way towards the bench and gulped down his bottle of water to replenish the energy he'd lost in the first quarter, his eyes still scanned the crowds, hoping to catch sight of familiar chestnut locks and blue eyes.

However, as he'd expected, he didn't catch sight of her. Knowing her cautious nature, she was probably wearing some sort of disguise, or at least something to make her less noticeable. While this normally would have been discouraging to anyone else, Himuro just shut his eyes and gave a small, barely noticeable smirk to himself, not deterred in the least. He still had one more card up his sleeve, after all...

_'Time for plan B, then.'_

* * *

Mikoto was staring at her phone with a deadpan expression, her eye twitching slightly beneath her hood as she stared at the text she had gotten from Midorima sometime during the match. Shintaro had oh-so kindly responded to her calling him a 'sweetie pie' in her last message with a short and simple reply...

**'Die.'**

Such a nice boy, he was.

"_The second quarter will commence now. All players, please take your positions."_

Well, at least there was something to take her mind off of the morbid message. Shirato casually crossed her legs as she straightened up in her seat, preparing to witness what would no doubt be another impressive play on Yosen's part. Akitakogyo was putting up a good fight, but she was absolutely confident that her team was going to win.

Mikoto immediately brought her thoughts to a screeching halt, shaking her head as if to clear her mind from what had just crossed it. _Their_ team. Yosen's team. Not hers. It was theirs. She wasn't part of it.

...Was she? And if she was, did she want to be part of it?

Before she could linger on that thought too long, however, she realized that the players on the court had already made the first pass, signalling the start of the second quarter. Mikoto quickly brushed aside all other concerns as she watched Akitakogyo take possession of the ball- a good start for them, Mikoto mused, but she doubted it would be enough. If Yosen couldn't attack yet, that was only one minor obstacle out of the way- the real challenge lay in penetrating their defenses.

Sanada seemed to hesitate for a moment as he began to approach the basket Yosen was guarding, a slight falter in his step as he was faced with Okamura- power forward to point guard. No one could blame him- the pressure exerted by Yosen's tallest players was incredibly heavy. Even as his eyes swept across the field to try and catch sight of one of his teammates- who was supposed to have backed him up as he got closer to the basket- they had all gotten caught up by each of Yosen's members, the impenetrable defense of the Shield of Aegis living up to its name.

In a last-shot attempt at preventing Okamura from stealing or from delaying his hold on the ball too long, Sanada quickly moved the ball into a swift pass towards his team's number 7 after a praiseworthy fake. However, said player was obviously not expecting such a move and, in a precious slip for the briefest of moments, the ball was intercepted by Liu, Yosen finally taking hold of the ball. Mikoto felt a twinge of sympathy when she saw the expression that crossed number 7's face- how terrible it must feel, to know that a small mistake on your part would cause such a devastation. However, the boy's captain clapped him on the shoulder as he dashed past, shouting something back at him over his shoulder as he did so. Mikoto couldn't hear what had been said, but from the way number 7's expression shifted to that of a fiercer, more determined one, she knew that Sanada was performing his duty as captain well.

It wasn't simply by the ability to lead that you could judge a captain- it was the ability to pick up the spirits of downtrodden teammates and to spur them to move forth that truly showed a captain's worth.

Shirato nodded approvingly upon this observation, before shifting her gaze back to the main battle going on. She noted Taruma from the opposing team rushing in as he tried to stop Liu from making his way towards the basket, a look of utter determination on his face as he attempted to stop the Yosen player's attempt at attacking. Mikoto almost smirked as she realized something- the centre had unconsciously abandoned caution in his desperation. From up here, she could see the technique Yosen was using- they had deliberately focused all of the centre's attention on Liu by having him charge headfirst while he had the ball, while the others subtly went about screening the more prominent players of their opponent's team.

This tactic's aim was accomplished when Mikoto shifted her gaze towards the left side of the court- Himuro was almost completely in the clear now as he broke past his mark and made his way towards the three-point line, and Liu obviously noticed it, too. The guy who had been marking Tatsuya, a boy with the jersey number 15, whose name Mikoto couldn't quite remember- was doing his best to catch up again, but it was too late by the time he did- Liu had managed to pass the ball to the shooting guard. It was all but a clear shot for Himuro now as he jumped, letting the ball fly from his hands...

However, Mikoto noticed with astonishment that Akitakogyo's number 15 seemed far too intent on stopping his attack- to the point where he attempted to jump and block the ball from behind the boy. However, in his desperation and impulsiveness, he landed a blow to the side of Himuro's head as he lunged for the ball in midair, successfully affecting the course of the shot. Now, Mikoto knew that move was enough to garner a foul- for obvious reasons- but what followed next made her eyes widen in shock. The force from the impact seemed to have been too strong and Himuro was unable to land properly on his feet, resulting in him falling onto the ground. The ball bounced off the rim upon his failed shot, too, but that was hardly of any concern to Mikoto.

"Number 12 is down!" Came the urgent whispers of the crowd, more and more of them beginning to murmur amongst themselves upon this newest development.

"Did he hurt himself?"

"What's going on?"

Shirato immediately shot to her feet in worry as she attempted to get a better sight of what was going on, nearly stumbling as she grabbed at the seat in front of her for support. She barely noticed the occupant of the seat behind her clicking their tongue in annoyance as she blocked their view, or the loud blow of the referee's whistle as the game paused for a moment- her eyes were glued on Himuro. She watched in growing concern as he slowly pushed himself onto one knee, trying to stand up again as he recovered from the fall. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be too badly hurt, as he easily shook it off while he got to his feet and focused his attention on the referee- who had rushed over to address the two players and to announce two free throws for Himuro- much to Mikoto's relief. At least he was unharmed...

Wait a minute.

As she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in, a sudden thought occurred to her, prompting her to tense up as her mind whirred. What had been up with that fall all of a sudden, anyway? That sort of thing shouldn't have been able to knock him down- granted, he'd been hit in midair, but still, a fall seemed a bit much. She knew how sturdy Himuro was from the numerous times she'd seen him play during practice- at the most, he normally would have just stumbled upon such a blow! So why...

All of a sudden- amidst all the confusion she was suddenly feeling- Himuro did the last thing she expected him to do.

He looked up at the spectator stands, immediately catching sight of Shirato's standing figure... and subtly raised a hand in greeting. And if it wasn't her imagination, he seemed to be smirking almost victoriously at her.

...Oh.

_Oh_.

"You..." Mikoto felt her hands balling into fists, her face reddening in a mixture of both embarrassment and fury as she realized what just happened. He had known! That little... he had known she would have been the only one close enough to the team to react like that on instinct! He set this up! And she fell right into it!

He had won the bet.

As Mikoto scowled at Himuro with such venom that a whole forest would have shriveled up and died, the cheeky jerk just continued smirking, even raising an eyebrow tauntingly at her. Mikoto remembered the message she'd gotten from Midorima just then- 'Be especially cautious of Scorpios, as they will be a cause of great misfortune'... She had a feeling she knew what star sign Himuro was now.

...

Damn it- she knew she should have brought her notebook with her!

* * *

As the second quarter ended and the half-time break was announced, Himuro sat heavily down on the bench, breathing in gradually slowing inhales and exhales. That quarter had taken a bit more out of him than he'd expected- deliberately slowing down measuredly and allowing yourself to get hit in the face was actually more tedious than he'd expected. He was only lucky that he had gotten it right on his first try, though he would admit- that smack had been more forceful than he'd expected...

"Sorry about that stumble, guys." He apologized nonchalantly as his coach and teammates all fixed him with pointed looks, clearly expressing their displeasure. The only one who seemed okay with it was Murasakibara- no surprise there. After all, he himself had done much worse when he toyed with his opponents. "I'm afraid my foot slipped."

"'Foot slipped' my ass, Himuro." Fukui grumbled, a vein in his forehead throbbing in annoyance. "We all saw your little 'hello' to your girlfriend in the stands."

"What were you thinking, man?!" Okamura exclaimed in a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. Though it had been quite a subtle wave, as Himuro's teammates, they were naturally accustomed to following each others' movements. Plus, the hooded figure in the stands that had been the only person to shoot up from their seat was almost impossible to ignore once they noticed- especially when said figure had yanked her hood back in frustration to reveal the furious face of one Mikoto Shirato. "We thought you might have been injured for real!"

"Don't underestimate me- I'm not some fragile amateur." Himuro replied solemnly, his expression darkening slightly at being looked down upon. However, just as quickly as it came, it disappeared as he shut his eyes and cleared some of the sweat from his brow, sighing. "I'm perfectly fine."

"I don't want you playing around out there anymore, Himuro." Coach Araki directed seriously, her lips thinned as she addressed Himuro personally. She disliked the idea of anyone fooling around on the court- basketball was not business to be taken lightly; even if the opponents weren't proving to be too much of a struggle to fight against, it did not grant anyone a right to take them any less seriously. "'As long as she isn't a distraction', remember?"

"Don't worry coach, it won't happen again." Himuro answered, his face a calm, unreadable mask as he spoke. "I don't like losing any more than you do."

"Why did you do it, if I may inquire?" Liu asked all of a sudden, raising a brow at the shooting guard in curiosity. The reasons for Himuro's actions seemed personal, but in what way had Shirato been involved in this?

Himuro's stormy-grey eyes flickered over to Murasakibara for a brief moment, a knowing look in the violet-haired boy's eyes. Ever the good secret-keeper, Murasakibara just cast his disinterested gaze back out onto the court, as lethargic as ever. No need to worry about him spilling his secret, Himuro deduced, that mysterious half-smile gracing his lips once more as he refocused his attention on his curious teammates.

"Like I said," He responded coolly. "I don't like losing."

* * *

**AN: Let it be known that exams suck and that I should burn all my books when I am through with my education. I AM NOT DEAD YET GUYS. I'M LATE BUT I'M NOT DEAD. Anyway. Hot damn I suck at writing matches. How do some authors even do this in such marvellous detail. Hats off to them, yo. And yes, the phone convo at the start is from Momoi's POV, hence the odd nicknames. Figured that Momoi wouldn't have any qualms about calling Mikoto names, or to tie her own back to Kuroko's XD**

**Also, I am aware that Himuro does not play in the main Interhigh matches that are coming up. So these prelims are the only matches he'll be playing- I got some plans for how to adjust this story's plot so that he doesn't play in the actual Interhigh itself. Hope that clears up any confusion :P**

**Many thanks to Tiger Lily Burning Bright, amaya-tsuki-chan, amytilly24, J13K6N99, MsCharis, TheTinyMouse, Zecrea, taciturnAnalyst, CreepyAntisocialGirl1999, noelswonderland, oep, AmandaVonDoom, Luminence, RaNdOm PeR5oN, zOMGPrincess, ChigUnnie, Juliedoo, Bloodyredblackwolf, aniqa 1234, kirika o7 and DearestELFFriend for all your support! Ya'll make my day ;D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

Mikoto's arms were crossed over her chest as she stood next to Coach Araki, her eyes following the players on the court as the last few seconds of the first quarter ticked away. It had been a week since the match against Akitakogyo, and this match against Noshiro High was the first in the final league of the regional preliminaries. Naturally, everyone was tense- even the benched players were paying rapt attention as they cheered their teammates on, hoping desperately to win this match. But of course, with the first string players in the game, their victory was all but decided- not a single basket had been scored in favour of Noshiro's team so far, as per the norm whenever their top five players were sent out onto the court.

Mikoto couldn't help but give a small, barely audible sigh under her breath, her attention diverting from the court as her eyes darted to the floor. Her grip on her elbows tightened as she recalled the other match that was on today, but in Tokyo. Apparently, Seirin High had managed to make it all the way to their last league as well, having beat teams such as Shuutoku and Seiho along the way. The team was quickly making a name for itself despite having been established barely two years ago- not a surprise, seeing as Tetsuya had indeed found a teammate worthy of his particular skill set, as well as the prowess of the other members. According to Kuroko, their coach was even a high schooler, herself! From what Mikoto had seen from the videos she had seen of Seirin's past matches, their team showed great promise, even from last year, and would only continue to grow- in skill and in teamwork...

However, today, they were facing a team that was indeed a force to be reckoned with.

"First quarter is over, Shirato." Coach Araki's stern voice broke Mikoto out of her musings, and she quickly snapped her head back up. Apparently, the coach was right- the quarter had just ended, and Araki was shooting her a firm look, having noticed her brief lack of attention. "Let's make this quick."

"Right, sensei." Mikoto nodded in affirmation, picking up the towels on the bench as she prepared to hand them out to the tired and sweat-streaked basketball players who were making their way back towards them for the short break.

"Thanks, Shirato-san." Okamura thanked gratefully as he accepted the towel Mikoto handed to him. Shirato had shown up a couple of times during their preliminary matches to aid the team whatever way she could- whether it was recon to help gather information against their opponents, or just preparing lunch in between their matches, it was still good to have a helping hand around.

"No problem." Mikoto returned graciously, continuing to give out towels to the others as the coach prepared to brief the team on their next strategy. When it came to Himuro's turn to take a towel, however, she didn't even meet his eye as she almost pushed the towel into his hands, even turning away from him before he had a chance to say anything.

Tatsuya just shot an exasperated look at her back, barely repressing a sigh. This had been going on for days now- when would she get over her petty grudge, already?

"They'll be subbing number 9 out for number 3 by half time, if our records are correct." Araki's voice interrupted Himuro's thoughts as she informed the players that were rehydrating themselves, gaining some brief relaxation before the next quarter began. The coach made her orders short and precise, pointing out flaws and strengths in their opponent's play so that they would know how to attack next. "Both are quite adept at playing their positions. Liu, keep holding off the attacks- Fukui, assist him whenever necessary."

The two addressed players nodded, and the coach turned her attention towards the other players.

"Himuro, you're doing well on your own so far." She reaffirmed, the dark-haired boy simply nodding off-handedly in response. Though Araki noticed this- as well as the unnatural fierceness he had showed on the court as he played- she made no comment on it as she continued. "Murasakibara, Okamura- the defenses are well handled. Keep it up. Let's aim to make sure they know that Yosen is a force to be reckoned with."

Upon those words, Mikoto gave a visible wince, recalling what she had been musing about just seconds ago. Her fingers ran along her bracelet nervously as the thought of the fated showdown between Kuroko and Aomine... how was the match going on for them, now? She wasn't sure what time it had started, but she was pretty sure it had begun before the match Yosen was currently playing...

"Shirato, anything to add on?"

Masako's question caught her attention and halted her train of thought for the second time that day, and Shirato glanced up to see everyone looking at her expectantly. Flushing slightly at being caught off-guard, Mikoto cleared her throat before voicing her opinion.

"Number 8 and 9 were playing around with their formations before the last quarter ended- I'm assuming they're hoping to gain a clear from 14." She stated simply, silently grateful that she had been able to voice her observations without stumbling over her words.

"They're very dependent on him- their play seems to centre around their new point guard. If the focus continues, then you need only worry about defending." Masako nodded, affirming Mikoto's statement. The coach then shifted her gaze to the sandy-haired point guard of their own team before continuing. "Fukui, outwit him, and this match is ours to dominate."

"Of course." Kensuke smirked. As a point guard himself, he was all too eager to pit his own strength against the opponent's.

"That's it, then." Araki directed once the signal for the beginning of the second quarter was sounded, prompting all of the players to stand up once again. "Do your best."

"Got it!" They all responded in unison, various expressions on their faces. Some were grinning eagerly and some remained passive, yet despite all their differences, their coordination and spirit as a team was nearly flawless. It was a testament to their skill- players worthy of being on one of the top high school basketball teams in the country.

As Mikoto made to retrieve the towels the team passed back to her on their way back out onto the playing field, one particular player stopped in his tracks, forcing her to stop as well when he held on to the towel he was supposed to give to her. Mikoto's eyes shot up to meet the silvery ones of Tatsuya Himuro's, who offered her a small smile.

"Thanks for the help, Shirato-chan." He expressed as sincerely as he could, trying to get her to talk to him.

She didn't. Instead, she just narrowed her eyes and viciously snatched the towel out of his hands, continuing on with her task as she walked away from him once more.

And so, Himuro found himself being rejected. Again. By the same girl.

"Shira-chin still seems to be mad at you." Murasakibara drawled out lazily as he walked beside the shooting guard, whose expression was carefully blank after Mikoto had turned her back on him. Despite his airy and laid back tone, there was an almost taunting lilt to his voice as he spoke to the raven-haired teen.

"It's nothing, Atsushi." Himuro's tone was cool, but everyone could sense that he was, at the very least, slightly affected by Shirato's silent treatment. It was only natural- being a team for so long had accustomed the team members towards each others moods, and from what they were sensing from Himuro... he was pretty miffed.

"Looks like someone's plan backfired." Fukui snickered quietly, making sure Himuro wouldn't hear him- despite his sharp tongue, even he knew when to hold back. The last thing he needed was for Himuro to turn his frustration on him, instead- already as it was, he could see the difference in the way the shooting guard was playing. He seemed to be more aggressive and almost agitated, as if he was taking his bad mood out on his opponents.

"Focus on the match at hand, Fukui." Liu reprimanded calmly, his slanted eyes shooting the senior a warning look. "Couple drama is none of our concern at the moment."

"At least Himuro _has_ couple drama..." Okamura muttered sulkily, his face dropping into a pout. Bad or not, at least there was some semblance of action in Himuro's relationship with girls...

Coach Araki frowned as she watched her boys' simple-minded and casual antics as they strolled almost leisurely onto the court, her eyes narrowed. This was the final league of the prelims! How could they be taking it so easily?

"What are they chatting so calmly about?" She clicked her tongue in disdain. Mikoto just nodded in agreement.

"I'll handle it." Mikoto assured, drawing a vaguely interested glance from the coach out of the corner of her eye. The brunette just tossed her braid over her shoulder and cleared her throat, before barking out her orders. "Oi, focus! Lose this match and you'll all get five times the training, understand?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Came the automatic response of the team, all idle chatter dissipating as they quickened their pace. Coach Araki just nodded approvingly at their quick show of obedience, shooting an impressed look at the brunette next to her.

"You have them whipped quite nicely." She commented, a light smirk pulling at the corners of her lips.

"I learned from the best, coach." Mikoto smirked back as she accepted the coach's indirect compliment. Araki just scoffed and shook her head- really, this girl reminded her a lot of herself during her younger days. She was quite an interesting disciple...

Mikoto's phone buzzed from the incoming of a new message just then, and she flinched at the sound, much to Masako's curiosity- the manager was more tense than she normally was. Mikoto's hand fumbled for her phone as she drew it out of her pocket, her eyes widening as Momoi's name flashed across the screen- it must be about the Seirin vs. Touou match, Shirato realized with a jolt. Still keeping an eye on the progress out on the court, she opened the message, her heart rate shooting up as she eagerly read the text...

**-x-x-x-**

**5.42 p.m**

**Sender: Satsuki Momoi**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**We won. Seirin lost.**

**-x-x-x-**

And all at once, Mikoto's mind went blank.

* * *

Yosen won with a score of 72-0, and even though Shirato celebrated the victory along with the team, her words felt empty and her congratulations were strained. She couldn't help it- the fact that Touou had _doubled_ Seirin's score, from what Satsuki told her- was unbelievable, and she was increasingly worried as she wondered how Kuroko and his team were dealing with the huge loss. Thankfully, no one noticed her distracted behaviour...

At least, that was what she thought until a certain Chinese boy with dark, inquisitive eyes came along and sat next to her as they all boarded the bus back to school.

"You do not appear to be in the most pleasant of moods, Shirato." Wei Liu mentioned idly, his tone as bland and uninterested as ever. However, he rarely ever initiated conversation with her without a motive, and Mikoto just shot him a curious look.

"What makes you say that?" She asked innocently, her chin resting in her hand as her elbow remained propped up on the armrest.

"Your aura is significantly darker than usual."

"You make it sound like it's dark all the time."

"It normally is." He affirmed, earning an exasperated glare from Shirato, which he pointedly ignored as he continued. "I'm assuming this has something to do with the incident during our match with Akitakogyo?"

Mikoto frowned at the deduction- so, the others were aware of the incident too, huh? That was just great- they all knew that she had lost a bet to Tatsuya Himuro. Wonderful. However, she just gave a huff on annoyance as she met his eye, not letting her frugality slip. "Don't let it bother you- I'm not going to try and poison the rest of you in the hopes of getting back at Himuro-kun."

"I should hope not." The boy agreed, relieved that his team wasn't about to face complete destruction by the second coming of the Mini Araki. However, his initial relief faded instantly- call it his intuition, or maybe he was just accustomed to Shirato's state of mind after their long acquaintance- as he knew something was still off, and he had no trouble voicing such thoughts. "Something else troubles you."

The simple statement- put forth by Liu with such assurance- made Mikoto's passive expression waver, and the hesitation in her eyes revealed her worries to the Chinese boy next to her. Giving a small sigh, Mikoto relented, her eyes drifting off to the side as she spoke. "It's nothing you guys need to worry about. There was just a very important match for my friend today. It didn't go well."

Liu remained silent as Mikoto voiced her thoughts, seemingly contemplating her words for a moment- he always was a good listener. Just as Mikoto thought he was going to just shrug it off and tell her to get over it, however...

"In my opinion, Shirato," The boy's serious- well, more so than usual- tone caught her attention once more, and she glanced back at him in vague surprise. Liu was looking directly at her as he spoke, evidently wanting her to take his words into consideration. "I think you should focus your attention on what you can do for your own team here, in the present. There is no point in lingering upon events you cannot influence."

"...You have a point there." Mikoto responded after a brief pause, still in slight shock that Liu would attempt to advise her in such a way. She had never really confided in the boy much, despite their friendship, so this was a surprise... though admittedly a pleasant one.

"If that is all, then will you stop appearing so downtrodden? It is a time for celebration- our qualification for the Interhigh is almost guaranteed with this victory." This time, the surprise on Mikoto's face was more evident, Liu noted. His voice was less detached as he spoke this time, sounding almost paternal as he advised his classmate. "Your mood affects all of us, Shirato. That is the essence of being a team."

For a long moment, Mikoto just stared at Liu, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard from him. To his credit, Liu didn't even flinch or glance away upon her heavy stare- he just met her gaze evenly, despite the growing awkwardness the silence left in its wake. Eventually- after what felt like eternity- Mikoto's lips twitched at the corners, and she shut her eyes as she gave a short chuckle, shaking her head as she did so. Really, Liu was always more insightful and alert than he let on, despite his seemingly uncaring nature... she was grateful for it.

"Thank you, Liu-kun." She thanked sincerely, offering the boy a small but genuine smile. Liu seemed satisfied with that, because he just nodded and finally glanced away, breaking eye contact with Shirato.

"It is of no consequence." He responded simply, as if he hadn't just given her the pick-me-up she really needed to soothe her currently conflicted state of mind. Mikoto just gave another short laugh at that as she returned her gaze to the window, albeit with a lighter heart than before.

Her lightheartedness wasn't quite shared by all of the passengers on the bus, though.

"You don't seem very happy, Muro-chin." Murasakibara commented as he chewed on a stick of licorice- he had just dicovered the new treat- and tilted his head at the sudden twitch of Himuro's fingers. The boy had been watching Shirato conversing with Liu from their row near the back of the bus for a while now, and Murasakibara couldn't help but notice the carefully guarded expression he wore as he did so.

"It's nothing, Atsushi." Himuro assured, though he finally tore his eyes away from the two students he had been watching all this while as he shut his eyes briefly.

"Trouble in paradise, Himuro?" A snarky voice commented from the row behind that of Himuro and Murasakibara's, belonging to one Kensuke Fukui as he raised an eyebrow at his underclassman. Evidently, his tense demeanour had been noted by his other teammates, as well. "Liu seems to be quite the charmer, eh?"

"I never thought Liu, of all people would be able to get through to her." Okamura commented idly, either not noticing or completely oblivious to the slight stiffening of Himuro's shoulders as he spoke. "Well, it makes sense that she gets on so well with him. After all, she's known him longer-"

"Captain." Himuro finally spoke up, cutting Okamura off in the middle of his sentence. The fact that he used Kenichi's title to address him as well as the sudden sharpness in his voice as he spat out the sole word was enough to silence the others- even Fukui's snickering stopped abruptly at his tone. However, Tatsuya just recovered quickly from his slip in demeanour, and his voice became passive once more as he stared straight ahead, not meeting anyone's eye as he spoke. "Please. It's nothing."

No questions were asked- they just took his word for it. Heaven forbid that anyone try to jest at his expense now- after all, no one in their right mind would intentionally provoke a temperamental Tatsuya Himuro.

At the very front of the bus, Masako Araki just silently observed the ongoing situation, her keen eyes darting between the group of first string members at the back as well as the manager and small forward sitting closer to her own seat. Judging from the evident difference in atmospheres between the two groups, the coach was quickly able to hypothesize what was going on, and she simply closed her eyes and sighed under her breath as she shook her head lightly. Really, teenagers and their drama...

And if Shirato really was anything like how she used to be in her younger days, then the coach greatly pitied Himuro. That boy had taken a lot more onto his plate than he realized.

* * *

Mikoto toyed with the end of her braid, which lay over her shoulder as she made her way out of school the following day, taking the long path out the back and past the field instead of using the front gates. She'd been using this way to head to the train station for a couple of days now- for a very good reason, too. So far the person she'd been skirting around hadn't caught on, but it was only a matter of time until-

"You've been avoiding me, Shirato-chan."

Mikoto spouted a string of colourful words in her head at the sound of the voice, resisting the urge to turn around and kick the owner of said voice in the knee before making a run for it. But she had an image to uphold... and she didn't want to risk him catching up to her if she did. So instead, she just kept stoically walking ahead, not even sparing a glance at Himuro when he fell into step next to her.

"Are you still mad about the bet?" Tatsuya asked, carefully watching her reaction. When his question was pointedly ignored for a good few seconds, he gave a small sigh. "Not even talking to me, huh..."

"You tricked me." Mikoto responded shortly, still not looking at him as she spoke. Well, at least it was a response.

"I don't recall setting any rules for our deal." Himuro commented lightly, hoping to loosen her up a little. "You can't expect life to be fair all the time."

"I thought you'd have a bit more self-respect than that. Guess I was wrong."

Ouch. That was a pretty harsh blow.

"I'm not here to gloat, if that's what you think." Himuro said slowly, still wincing internally at the previous comment. "Nor am I going to put our deal into effect just yet."

"Then why are you here?"

Exasperated with all the cold responses he was receiving, Himuro's poker face slipped away for a moment as he visibly frowned, his brow furrowing in annoyance. "Can we just get on like we normally do without any antagonism, or are we back to square one again?"

Mikoto was stunned into silence at his sudden shift in demeanour, albeit surprised at seeing him express his frustration so openly. The expression on her face must have betrayed some of her shock, because Himuro quickly changed his approach as his expression softened again, stepping in front of her just as they reached the school's exit and successfully halting her steps. "I didn't mean to offend you with that stunt."

"No. You just wanted to win." Mikoto muttered darkly, her eyes cast to the ground. Winning was always everything, wasn't it? It was always just a game...

It was the same attitude that Daiki had. That _they_all had.

"Can't deny that." Himuro cracked a small smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it came once he realized that the girl didn't return it. If anything, she looked more tense and exhausted than he was- and he was the one that had just played a full game the previous day.

"Hey, I'm sorry, alright?" He apologized sincerely, reaching out to grasp Mikoto's shoulder. "If it makes it any better, I can call off the bet-"

"No. A deal is a deal. You'd be insulting my pride if you go back on it." She responded bitterly as she brushed his hand away. Her blunt response made Himuro fall silent, the words fading on his tongue as he grasped for something to say that wouldn't upset her.

"What can I do to make it up to you, then?" He asked, determined to set things right again. For some reason, he just couldn't stand the way she looked now- morose, despondent... it just rubbed him the wrong way. And he would hate himself if he was the cause of her misery. "I'll do anything you ask."

"That's a dangerous thing to say." Mikoto raised a skeptical eyebrow, her expression guarded. What was he playing at?

"I know." Tatsuya nodded. And indeed, he did know the consequences such a statement could result in, but he was willing to take that risk. "I want to prove that I'm serious- I really am sorry."

"You're whack." Mikoto deadpanned, her arms crossing over her chest. "First you cheat to win, and then you tell me you're sorry? What was the point of cheating in the first place?"

"Firstly, I didn't exactly cheat. Secondly," He continued before Shirato could rebut him, his expression serious once more. "I don't want to be the reason for that look in your eye."

Mikoto couldn't help it- she stared at him as if he'd grown a third head. 'That look'? What look? Anger? Contempt? Because that was all she felt right then... No. There was more to it- she had to acknowledge it. She wasn't mad; she was disappointed. Betrayed. Regretful. The same feelings she had felt when she'd seen the Generation of Miracles at Nationals last year.

"It's not your fault." She responded quietly after a long pause, her hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she squeezed her eyes shut. Dammit- she had to get it together. "I just... I was reminded of something I don't like to remember."

"Something to do with Aomine-kun?"

Talk about hitting the nail on the head. Mikoto didn't respond, but her silence spoke for itself- he had guessed right. After taking another deep breath, Mikoto finally removed her hand from her face as she met Tatsuya's gaze once more, her expression surprisingly stern.

"You said you'd do anything." She stated firmly, her blue eyes narrowed seriously. "And I will hold you to it. Do you give me your word?"

"Yes." Himuro responded without hesitation, already having come to terms with what he had offered. If this was what he had to do to earn her trust again, he would do it.

However, even with his readiness, what she put forth still caught him off-guard.

"Don't ever do that again." She stated solemnly, never breaking eye contact with him as she spoke loud and clear. "Don't exploit a game of basketball for your own personal gain or entertainment. Respect your opponent, and the match. That's all I want you to do."

"...Of course." Himuro responded, the initial flash of surprise that had ghosted his features quickly fading away within seconds as it was replaced with a look of mild sheepishness. He scratched his cheek with his index finger as he looked at her apologetically, admittedly more ashamed about his exploitation now than he initially was- even if it had gone undetected by his opponents and that it had only involved a minor repression of his skill, it didn't make it any less wrong. "I apologize. I will admit- that was callous of me."

"Oh, whatever gave you that idea?" Mikoto scoffed, walking around him as she continued out the gates of the school- Himuro catching up quickly as he noticed what she was doing. He also noted, with a hint of relief, that she sounded less cold as she spoke now and more like the way she normally sounded.

"Have you been talking with Fukui recently?" He asked casually, the sarcastic tone with which she spoke greatly reminding him of his teammate.

"He's quite the influence." Mikoto shrugged. Fukui may have been a bit of a thorn in her side, but his quick wit was something to be admired.

"Explains a lot." Himuro's lips twitched upwards in mild amusement, before he continued the conversation in a lighter tone. "Now, will you stop being such a stick in the mud, or do I need to put on a skirt to cheer you up?"

Against her better judgement, Mikoto laughed. "Just pay for everything when our deal gets put into effect." She shrugged, hoping to seem nonchalant. "Then we'll see how it goes."

"Fair enough." Himuro complied willingly, turning back to face the road as they continued on their way. He had to admit- he couldn't help but feel a small rush of pride at finally being able to coax a laugh out of her. But even so... he wasn't quite satisfied at the way this confrontation had turned out. This wasn't enough; there had to be more he could do- that he _had_ to do. He wouldn't be like her old friends- he was different; that was what he had been trying to prove all this while.

And prove it, he would.

* * *

A nudge on her elbow. Mikoto just grunted as she continued to lie her head in her arms, which were crossed over the counter in the Bunkiten mini market. As she always did on most days, she was manning the cashier in her dad's mini market again, and since business never was all that heavy at this time in the evening she decided it would be safe to slack off a bit. Plus, she was really tired...

_Nudge, nudge_.

"Stop that, Toshi." Mikoto mumbled, her words muffled as she refused to lift her head from her arms. However, the canine was insistent and just kept on poking his mistress' elbow with his nose as he placed his paws on the countertop, making low whining noises as he begged for attention. After a couple more nudges and coaxing whines, Mikoto finally relented as she gave a groan of exasperation, reluctantly moving her arms so that they looped around her dog's neck, one hand rubbing Toshi beneath his ears.

"There- happy?" She mumbled as she lay her head in Toshi's thick coat- thank goodness he was clean most of the time. The German Shepherd just gave a small bark and rested its head on the counter gleefully, glad to have finally gotten the attention it sought. Mikoto just gave another low sigh as she shut her eyes against her dog's fur, inhaling the scent of his doggie shampoo- she had just given him a bath a couple of days ago, and she had to admit, that apple-scented soap she'd gotten for him had been a really good buy.

"Say, Toshi- do you think I should try to speak to Tetsuya-kun?" She asked idly, more out of habit than actual boredom. When Toshi just made a small whining noise again, Mikoto hummed contemplatively. "Mm, true. That might be a bad idea right now- especially since his team couldn't advance to the national tournament. I just hope he's doing okay..."

The girl gave another sigh at the thought, before her frown deepened as she remembered something else. "You know, this means that my school has to go up against Touou, too." She commented, stroking her dog's head with her free hand before she leaned over Toshi's head to get a look at his face.

"Who do you think is gonna win, boy?" She asked, raising a brow at the dog as she viewed him from her upside-down point of view. When Toshi tilted his head to the side, Mikoto nodded thoughtfully. "Well, Daiki may be the best, but we have Himuro-kun and Murasakibara-kun. Do you think that's enough?" She asked again- this time earning a small bark from Toshi in response. Shirato just sighed at that and moved her head back again, lying her chin on her dog's head as her hand continued to scratch Toshi's neck while she mused aloud. "Hm, yeah. The other players on Touou's team seem pretty formidable, too..."

"Miko," Came her dad's voice as he walked into the store from the back storage room, shooting his daughter a peculiar look. "Are you talking to the dog again?"

"You're just imagining things, dad." Mikoto responded simply. Hajime just shrugged at her response while he pushed his chin-length bangs out of his face, jotting something down in the small log book in his hands as he glanced at one of the items on the shelves. When her father returned to the back of the store, Shirato looked down at her dog, only to see Toshi staring back at her almost reprimandingly- if dogs could frown, she bet he would have been doing so.

"Sorry, Toshi. You're good company, but you know they don't understand." Mikoto apologized, rubbing her dog's back along his spine- he always liked that. However, the doorbell of the shop chimed just then, signalling a new customer, and she halted her actions as she lifted her head.

"Irrashaimase." She greeted cordially, before she did a double take when she saw who it was that had entered.

"Shirato-chan." Himuro waved casually as he made his way over to the counter, his usual half-smile on his face as he slowly reached out and petted Toshi's head, the dog wagging its tail at the familiar face. "Toshi. It's nice to see you, too."

"Himuro-kun." Mikoto nodded in acknowledgement as she allowed herself to relax and lay her hand on Toshi's back again, before she noticed the lack of a certain purple-haired teen that normally accompanied Tatsuya. "Murasakibara-kun isn't with you today?"

"No. I just wanted to speak to you for a moment, if you wouldn't mind." He replied, and his serious words piqued Mikoto's interest immediately.

"What is it?"

"Your cousin's from Touou High, right?"

Mikoto's face fell at those words, and Himuro noted how her stature became more rigid, as well as the slight hardening in her voice when she spoke, as if she was trying to conceal some other emotion.

"Yeah. What about it?" She asked, seeming to be casual about it, but Himuro detected wariness in her voice.

"I hear they made it to the Interhigh. Our team might be facing off against them." He responded, watching her carefully to make sure that he wouldn't invoke the wrong reaction again.

"I know. Why are you telling me this?"

"Are you going to go watch the match?"

"I can't." Mikoto shook her head, a flash of disappointment showing in her eyes for a moment before she blinked, effectively regaining her composure and brushing it away. "Tokyo, remember? I don't have the means to go there."

"Well, then maybe you'll be interested in hearing this." Himuro suggested, slowly tapping his index finger on the counter in an attempt to seem nonchalant. At his words, however, Mikoto became alert, wondering what he was plotting this time.

"What?" She asked slowly, hoping to be able to derive some of what he was thinking from the expression on his face. However, his mask was flawless; revealing nothing no matter how hard she searched.

"We won our regional prelims." He continued seamlessly, his eyes meeting hers in a level gaze. "The main event will be held in Tokyo, and we'll be heading down there during the second week of summer break."

Mikoto's breath caught, and her eyes widened as she caught on to what he was implying. "You don't mean..."

"I asked Coach Araki about it." Himuro nodded, confirming her suspicions and taking a vague sense of satisfaction at seeing her so visibly stunned. "If you can arrange your own living accomodations, she doesn't mind letting you on the bus there and back."

"You asked on my behalf?" Mikoto blinked in surprise, almost as if she was confused at the mere idea of the notion- much to Himuro's chagrin. Did she think he wouldn't do something so small for a friend?

"I figured it was the least I could do to make up for what I did." He responded sincerely, offering her a small smile before his tone lightened once more. "So, how about it? Wanna join us?"

"I-I don't really know." Mikoto spluttered, suddenly flustered as she waved her hands awkwardly. This sudden act of kindness was surprising- and touching, she would admit- as it was, but to get a reply now? "I'm not sure if my parents will allow me to-"

"You can go right ahead, Miko."

At the sudden interruption, both Mikoto and Himuro swivelled their heads in the direction of the voice, only to behold Hajime Shirato making his way towards the counter, an arm on his hip as he strolled leisurely towards the two teens.

"Dad?" Mikoto blinked, her tone incredulous. How long had he been there? And was he serious?

"It's been almost a year since you last saw Daiki." The man grunted, rubbing his chin with his free hand. Her father's youthful features didn't seem to reveal any hint of joking, much to Mikoto's confusion. "There's no reason you shouldn't go see him in Tokyo."

"But my schoolwork-"

"Your grades are doing fine- and this competition is during the summer hols, right?" Hajime interrupted, waving off her comment with ease. "I'll call your uncle and aunt to let them know you're heading down."

"Dad-"

"Mikoto." Here, Hajime finally acquired a more serious tone, and he met his daughter's eye evenly as he spoke. "You have been down ever since that fight you had with your cousin, and I _will_ have you go there if it means you'll finally stop moping around the house."

"I-I don't mope!" Mikoto stuttered defensively, not missing the small smirk that seemed to cross Tatsuya's face before it disappeared in a flash.

"You do." Her father stated simply, much to her chagrin- and Himuro's amusement. Hajime just gave a small sigh as he crossed his arms, putting forth one last statement to make sure that his daughter would get what he was hinting at. "You need to speak to Daiki eventually, Miko. And this sounds important to you. You should take the chance."

"I..." Mikoto hesitated for a moment- this was all happening so fast! One moment, she was positive she would never see Daiki- not after what he had just done to Tetsuya's team- and the next, she suddenly had all the accomodations she needed to head down to Tokyo. Despite her skepticism, however, one look at her father told her that there was no way she was getting out of it, even if she protested, and she sighed as she relented. "I don't see why not. Thanks, Dad."

"It's not a problem, Miko." Hajime replied, his eyes kind as he looked at his only daughter. However, when he turned back to face the boy who had offered this opportunity to Mikoto in the first place, Himuro had to suppress a gulp at the sharpness in Hajime's gaze- if looks could kill, Himuro would be dead in a second. "But if any of you boys try to do anything funny with my daughter..."

"I won't break that trust, sir." Tatsuya responded respectfully, bowing slightly towards the older man as he maintained his composure. Intimidated by Shirato man though he was, he wouldn't let it show.

"You better not." Hajime threatened again, before turning back to his daughter, who still looked unsure at the thought of meeting the cousin she had left on bad terms with so long ago. As he placed his hand on her shoulder, Mikoto glanced up at her father, who shot her a gentle look of encouragement. "Remember, Miko- don't waste this chance to set things right."

"...I won't." She agreed, reaching up and squeezing her father's hand gratefully. Satisfied with her answer, Hajime removed his hand and backed away, allowing space for Mikoto to walk past as he gestured with his head towards the exit.

"You can head home for now, Miko." He responded, glancing at the clock on the far wall. "Ren's coming in soon anyway."

"Alright then." Mikoto nodded as she got off the stool she sat on, patting the side of her leg as she called Toshi to heel. "Come on, Toshi."

"Shall I walk you back?" Himuro offered just then as he straightened up, earning a surprised look from Mikoto. "You'll have to lead the way, though."

"Uhm..." Shirato paused for a moment as her eyes flickered between her father- who was shooting Himuro a disapproving look- and Tatsuya himself, who seemed to be stoically avoiding her father's stern gaze. The slight twitch in his cheek that appeared for just the briefest of moments revealed just how aware he was of the older Shirato's glare though, and Mikoto decided to spare him any further awkwardness as she shrugged. "Why not."

Himuro almost visibly relaxed at that- a relieved expression crossing his face as he shot her a grateful look, much to Mikoto's mirth. The boy simply walked over to the entrance and pushed the door open for her as he allowed her to walk out first, and Mikoto turned around briefly as she waved at her father. "See you later, dad."

"It was nice talking to you, Shirato-ojisan. Good evening." Himuro added politely.

"Yeah, yeah." Hajime just clicked his tongue at the boy's wish, waving it off in an almost annoyed manner. "Make sure you buy something next time instead of just chit-chatting, boy."

"Of course, ojisan." Himuro replied graciously, though he cringed at the cold manner in which Mikoto's father had responded. Talk about tough to win over- the apple really didn't fall too far from the tree...

"He isn't too fond of me hanging out with boys." Mikoto elaborated once they were some distance away from the shop, hoping to alleviate some of the stress Himuro must have been feeling after that meeting with her dad. Unlike her mom, her dad was quite iffy about her spending time in the company of males- she could still remember the time Kise had dropped by her place to borrow a pendant she had. Her father had nearly traumatized the poor model during the span of the three minutes it had taken for her to recover the accessory.

"I don't see why he should be worried." Himuro commented as he watched Toshi sniff at a patch of grass by the roadside. "With that dog, I doubt any guy would try to pull 'anything funny' with you."

Mikoto let out a short bark of laughter before she put forth a question that had been at the back of her mind since Himuro's request. "How did you get Coach Araki to let me join you guys, anyway?" Mikoto asked curiously.

"It was nothing." Himuro replied casually, before a small smirk tugged at his lips. "I just had to help lure little children to her den of woe so that she could feast on their happy spirits to make up for the lack of her own."

"You're horrible." Mikoto responded, though her voice was laced with concealed laughter.

"I have to agree." Tatsuya nodded, not bothering to hide the amusement in his own voice. The two of them then continued on in silence for a while as Mikoto lead the way towards her house- Toshi never straying too far from her side- and they had walked into the housing estate near the convenience store before Mikoto spoke up again.

"...Thanks again for doing this, Himuro-kun." Mikoto murmured quietly, glancing back shyly at the boy beside her. "I really appreciate it. And... I'm sorry for being so cold the past couple of days."

Himuro blinked in surprise at that, having not expected her sudden apology. However, his surprise was quickly overriden by relief as he shot her a small smile- that must mean she really had forgiven him, then.

"It was partially my own fault." Himuro admitted, before his expression grew wistful as he recalled the day she had told him the story behind her bracelet. His own hand went up to touch the ring that dangled on the chain around his neck, and he noted with vague interest that Mikoto's hand seemed to be unconsciously playing with the band on her other wrist, as well. "Besides, I told you I'd help you out- I'm a man of my word."

"Yeah?" Mikoto questioned, raising a brow as a thought occurred to her. "So would you really have put on a skirt if I'd won that bet?"

"Why not?" Bewilderment and disbelief filled the brunette's eyes as Himuro continued nonchalantly, as if he didn't notice her slackened jaw. "I think I'd look good in one."

"Excuse me?" Mikoto deadpanned, finding her voice once again. In her mind, she tried as hard as she could to imagine the teen in one of those miniskirts she so often saw on other girls...

It was... interesting, to say the least.

"I've got some pretty hot legs." Himuro bragged none too seriously, his eyes dancing with amusement as he glanced back at Shirato.

"Yeah right." She scoffed, though the male didn't miss the smile that crossed Mikoto's face.

"Hm, point taken. They would look better after I shave." He mused, placing his hand on his chin as if he were deep in thought. Blanching, Mikoto quickly did a 360 in her imagination and took it someplace else before they managed to create a mental picture that would scar her for life, repressing a shudder at what she _did_ manage to think up as Himuro continued lightly. "Or do you think the 'rustic caveman' look would suit me better?"

Mikoto snorted. "Don't flaunt it if you don't have it, Himuro-kun."

"You know you would pay to see it."

"Yeah, right. I can see right through your innocent facade. It's not fooling me."

"But you like what you see." Himuro replied slyly, amused by the look of complete apprehension that appeared on the girl's face.

"You're a creep." She deadpanned.

"I like to think of it as charming." Himuro countered.

"Oh please. If you're making these comments in the hopes that I'll butter you up, it's not happening."

"'Butter me up'? Sounds kinky."

"Toshi doesn't have a counter seperating him from you this time."

"I'll be quiet." Tatsuya complied at last, finally relenting at the threat of being attacked by the team manager's dog. Mikoto couldn't help but glance back at Himuro thoughtfully as he walked on next to her, observing the lingering smile on his face that reflected her own. Honestly, this guy really was the last person on earth she thought she would ever befriend, yet here he was, walking her back home as they poked fun at each other. How things had changed since that day in the gym, when he'd first spoken to her...

"You know, it really is quite flattering to have you looking at me so intently." He commented suddenly, his eyes sliding over to glance at her teasingly.

"Toshi-"

"Being quiet again."

And once again, Mikoto laughed- more openly this time- with Himuro joining in, the two of them sharing a moment of peace amongst themselves in the light of the evening sun. As Shirato shared a look of amusement with the ebony-haired shooting guard, she couldn't help but think to herself... Tatsuya Himuro wasn't half bad. Not half bad at all.

But there was one last thing she had to confirm...

"Hey, Himuro-kun."

"Yes?"

"When's your birthday?" Mikoto asked, the question catching Himuro by mild surprise.

"The 30th of October." He replied easily.

"30th..." Shirato mused over that for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "That makes you... a Scorpio, right?"

"Yeah. I wasn't aware you were into horoscopes." Tatsuya commented.

"I'm not. I just needed confirmation." Mikoto shrugged, before she took out her cell phone and started typing something. And Himuro didn't know why, but he felt an unreasonable urge to peek over and see if she was texting another guy. But of course, he knew his boundaries.

"Why would you need to confirm that?" He questioned instead, tilting his head ever so slightly. Mikoto just shut her phone cover, looking up at him with a serious, almost solemn look as she responded...

"Because I'm going to start subscribing to Oha Asa now."

"...What?"

* * *

**-x-x-x-**

**7.30 p.m**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**Recipient: Shintaro Midorima**

**Midorima-kun, for every and any time I have ever insulted or doubted you and your borderline zealous Oha Asa obsession, I apologize a thousand times over.**

**-x-x-x-**

**7.45 p.m**

**Sender: Shintaro Midorima**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**I accept your apology. However, I am not, nor was I ever, zealous.**

**Also, it is a pastime, not an obsession. You would do well to correct your facetious assumption.**

**-x-x-x-**

**7.48 p.m**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**

**Recipient: Shintaro Midorima**

**Denial is bad for your health, Midorima-kun.**

**-x-x-x-**

**7.50 p.m**

**Sender: Shintaro Midorima**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**Die.**

**-x-x-x**-

* * *

**AN: I do know that I leave out Midorima's style of ending his sentences with 'nanodayo', as well as the style of which Liu speaks with words like 'thou' and 'thy'. I decided to go with the way Liu speaks in the anime (more modern, but still very formal) to avoid confusion, and I omitted Midorima's speech style because I figured it would sound odd in an english fic. Opinions? Depending on what you guys would prefer, I can adjust future and past chapters before it progresses too far ;P**

**Many thanks to SpiritlessSoul, Fairytale-GhostPrincess, INSPIRIT99 , xenocanaan, VixenOfMeiraz, carlosgirl 1, LincoeAlisson3298 , eguzman, kanbikijanai, squadlevi, April Marciano, TitaniaPhoebe13, easily1994addicted, lime green lily, Linnette , ElenaFromItaly, RecordingDreams, papertowel1567, SevranDaLune, RomanticKissez, Leo Inuyaka, lostinthefridge, PhoenixRage92, Tiger Lily Burning Bright, BlazeMary, Addicted-to-GazettE, SilverStar, Bliss Autumn, Nube2013, LadyAmazon, AnimeFreak9091 and violacciocca! Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time! ;D**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.

**AN: ****IMPORTANT****! Okay, so while editing some of my earlier chapters, I realized that I accidentally got my documents messed up between chapter 4 and 5, so it kind of... repeated itself. *headdesks*. I am so sorry for all you newer readers- I have fixed the problem and put up the original chapter 4 again, so to those of you who didn't get to read the it, feel free to check it out. If not... well, you're not missing much (it was only 2000+ words) but I would recommend reading it to fill up any plotholes. Sorry bout that again- do pardon my dimwitted-ness! Also, due to my upcoming exam, I won't be updating this fic until about December or so. I'm really sorry about the delay, but this exam is pretty crucial to me. So... yeah. Sorry guys- I'll be back as soon as I can, so wish me luck!**

**In the meantime, however, I have opened up a poll on my profile regarding what pairing you guys would like to see in my next story. So do drop a vote if you can to help me out! It would be greatly appreciated ;D (feel free to recommend another series besides the two I've provided as well- it'd be fun to hear your suggestions!)**

**As usual- thank you so much to RomanticKissez, e-addi, VixenOfMeiraz, PhoenixRage92, LincoeAlisson3298, SevranDaLune, BlazeMary, USMCcAnthem, Bliss Autumn, xkx, lostinthefridge, PurePrincess, and Oikawa's booty (I died at your username, haha! Thank you so much for the review- I blush, haha! I'm far from perfect, but I'm honoured at the compliment uwu). I have never gotten 13 reviews for one chapter before, so this is quite an achievement for me, haha! Thank you to everyone else who has added this fic to your follows and favourites, too!**

**Sorry for the uber long AN! Enjoy the chapter, guys ;) **

* * *

"I'm not playing in the Interhigh."

The announcement that fell from Himuro's lips echoed almost ominously around the court, all sound and action halting the moment he uttered those six words. The ball that a few of the team members had been playing with bounced listlessly out of bounds, the scratching of Mikoto's pen in her notebook screeched to a halt, and even Araki paused from giving instructions as they all slowly tried to interpret what he had just said.

When the meaning of the words finally sunk in, the whole place exploded. Metaphorically, of course.

"What?!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Are you for real?!"

All the members crowded around Himuro as if he were some spotlight attraction, bombarding him with questions left right and centre. Coach Araki's voice was drowned out during her first attempt to question her student, and with the swarm of them nearly suffocating Himuro, she couldn't get to him either. Her impatience growing, the coach scowled and placed her fingers to her lips in preparation of blowing a sharp whistle to get their attention...

Only to pause from doing so when Shirato did the exact same thing, the shrill and piercing sound silencing the members of the club immediately as they flinched upon hearing it. All heads turned towards the two women standing outside the radius of the crowd that had gathered around Himuro- even Araki blinked at the manager in slight shock as Mikoto crossed her arms, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction at the team's unruly conduct.

"Everybody, calm down and give him some space." She reprimanded exasperatedly, shooting them all a sharp look. "One at a time, alright?"

"O-okay..." Okamura responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a hand- some of the other guys mimicked his actions, as well. No one had really expected the quiet Shirato to suddenly take hold of the reins and call them to attention like that- Araki was the one who normally did so. The coach herself seemed rather pleased with Mikoto's actions, and gave a small nod of approval before she turned to Himuro once more.

"What's bringing this about, Himuro?" She asked, her tone less harsh than usual. She knew that Tatsuya wasn't the kind to skimp out of a match simply on a whim- whatever it was, it had to be something serious that would ever stop Himuro from playing even in a regular game, let alone the Interhigh.

"My grandfather in America just passed away." He replied, trying to sound less upset about the sudden event than he actually was. His attempt at being casual failed, however, as the whole gym fell into pin-drop silence once again at the solemn news. "It might be a while until I get back- I could be gone for a whole week."

"Damn..." Fukui muttered under his breath, awkwardly patting Himuro's shoulder in a gesture of support.

"Sorry to hear that, man..." Okamura apologized, his tone sympathetic.

"Our deepest condolences." Liu added, while Murasakibara mumbled something similar, as well. The other team members followed up with murmurings of their own- everyone, save for Mikoto, who kept silent as she watched Himuro carefully.

"It's fine, no worries." Himuro reassured, attempting to lighten the atmosphere once more. His expression turned more serious as he turned to face the coach, however, as he clarified the situation with her. "I'll be heading back to America before you guys leave for the Interhigh- it'll probably be a week before I come back. I figured I had to let you guys know, at least."

Araki nodded as she contemplated this new information, trying to conceal her disappointment at not having Himuro in the competition to come- things suddenly became a lot harder for their team. However, she knew he had his priorities, and wouldn't question it.

"If that's the case, then Inari will be taking your place." As she said this, she turned towards one of the second-year reserve players, who started upon being addressed. Naegi Inari was quite a skilled shooting guard as well- were it not for Himuro, Naegi would almost certainly have been among the first string members.

"You got that, Naegi?" Okamura slapped the thin, bespectacled boy on the back, the impact hard enough to make the boy stumble. "You better get pumped up!"

"Y-yes!" Inari stuttered out, massaging the spot where his captain had hit him with a wince on his face. Sometimes he wondered if Okamura even knew the extent of his strength...

"You nearly broke his back, Oka-chin." Atsushi pointed out blandly.

"If you kill him, we might as well give the match before it even begins." Fukui added, tutting in disappointment.

"Know your limits, butt-chin." Liu commented seriously. Okamura, whose frustration had kept on piling up ever since Murasakibara's comment, finally snapped at Liu's input, and a vein in his temple throbbed as he yelled at his teammates.

"Who're you calling 'butt-chin'?!"

"You, obviously." Murasakibara deadpanned. "No one else but captain has a butt chin."

"Hey!"

"I might be back in time to catch a couple of matches, though." Himuro continued as he spoke to the coach, as well as the few members who were listening. "Maybe I'll take a bus down and join you guys.

"I hope you do." Mikoto muttered. However, she didn't expect her comment to be heard, and when she looked up to see everyone staring at her, her face almost flushed in embarrassment. She glared off to the side as she justified, "Don't take that the wrong way- we need our double ace team to help us kick butt out there."

"'Our' double ace team?" Himuro wasted no time in pointing out her slip of the tongue, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Your." Mikoto quickly corrected. "I said your."

"Shira-chin is being shy again." Murasakibara commented, butting into the conversation as he saw fit.

"Shut up and get to practice." Mikoto grumbled, waving her hand in an authoritative manner. Despite how casual the action seemed the members wasted no time in obeying her orders- her reputation as the 'mini-Araki', as Fukui had dubbed her, was well known amongst the basketball club after all the extra laps and punishments the unfortunate victims of her wrath had been sentenced to, and none were too eager to experience such again. Araki herself didn't say anything- she just gave a small smirk of approval at how well the manager had trained these boys.

As they all went back to their respective activities, however, Mikoto found it a lot more difficult to refocus on her tasks than she would have liked. Instead, for reasons she couldn't justify, her eyes kept darting towards a certain dark-haired boy on the court. Despite how collected he might have seemed to any onlooker, or perhaps even his teammates, Mikoto saw the slight tensing of his shoulders, and the miniscule errors in his usually perfect technique as he played against his teammates.

Though minor, the affected state of the shooting guard stuck out blatantly to Mikoto like a sore thumb. Her hands unconsciously tightened on her clipboard, forgetting the other members she was supposed to watch for the briefest of moments as she simply stared at Tatsuya, unable to look away. He may have tried to seem aloof and casual about his grandfather's passing, but there was a small crack in his mask- a flaw he normally would not have allowed for.

Though she would have denied it if anyone had asked, Mikoto knew one thing for sure- she was genuinely worried for Tatsuya Himuro.

* * *

Coach Araki's heels clacked on the ground as she exited the storage room, a small frown on her face. With one of the team's trump cards out of the running, the odds of their winning the Interhigh were narrowed down considerably. Against the more formidable teams- Rakuzan was especially worrying- would her boys be able to stand a chance? Granted, having Murasakibara on their team would still put them at an advantage, but...

The sound of a basketball whooshing through the air caught Araki's attention- hadn't the team members all left for the locker rooms five minutes ago? The coach looked up just in time to witness said basketball go straight through the hoop without even touching the rim- a perfect shot. Tatsuya, having been the shooter, didn't waste any time as he dashed forward to retrieve the ball, dribbling it against the wooden floor of the gym as he played against an invisible opponent. His fakes were as unpredictable and flawless as ever- even Masako had to admit that she still couldn't get over how well Himuro could play. It was very elegant and refined- each detail and move honed to perfection...

A quick glance at the girl who stood on the sidelines had Araki's lips twitching at the corners- clearly, Mikoto shared her opinion as well, if the way she continued to watch Himuro in awe was any indication. It looked like Tatsuya's charm did affect her in some way- though probably not the way he would imagine...

"He's still practicing?" Araki commented rhetorically, walking up to Shirato as they both observed Himuro playing. Another quick change of positions, and suddenly the ball was flying from his hands, landing another basket. He barely seemed to be paying attention to his surroundings- he was completely focused on the match.

"I think he's trying to cool off, coach." Mikoto replied absently. Masako nodded in agreement at that- it wasn't uncommon for Tatsuya to pour out his frustrations using basketball as an outlet, if the match against Noshiro was any indication.

"Not being able to play in the IH must really irk him."

"It's to be expected. He loves basketball, after all."

The innocent, absent-minded comment caught the coach by surprise, and Araki slowly slid her eyes over to the the brunette, her expression passive yet curious. There was something about the way Shirato watched Himuro with that small furrow in her brow that had the coach wondering- what it was that was occupying her mind? As far as Masako was concerned, Himuro was being as productive as he always was- staying behind to practice further wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him. She did suspect that Himuro might be putting up an act of nonchalance regarding the death of his relative, but still... something told her that Mikoto saw something that even she didn't.

But then again, if there was anyone who could make sense of the elusive shooting guard, it would be Mikoto. And Araki would leave her to it.

"Shirato," The coach called out, reaching into her pocket. When Mikoto turned towards her, Araki simply tossed the item she had withdrawn towards the brunette, who fumbled slightly with the catch. It took Mikoto a moment to get a proper look at what it was she had just gotten from the coach, but when she recognized it, her eyes widened. It was a single key, hanging on a keychain- the key to the gym where they held their practices.

"That's your spare. Lock up once Himuro's done." Masako ordered, Mikoto's eyes darting away fron the silver key towards the coach once more as she stared almost disbelievingly at the woman. Was she hearing correctly?

"You're giving me these?" Mikoto repeated, just to be sure of what she was hearing.

"You're the manager. It's only right." Araki shrugged disinterestedly, turning away before Mikoto could reply. As she reached the exit, she turned her head once more to bark a short order over her shoulder. "Don't stay too long, Himuro."

"Got it, coach." The addressed teen nodded, though the coach had already left before he'd even completed his sentence. Panting slightly from exertion- he'd been at it for a while, now- he glanced back at Mikoto, who still stared at the small key in her hand as if it were a fascinating gemstone. "She left you the keys?" He questioned.

"She gave me my own set." Surprise was clearly written on Mikoto's face as she mumbled her response almost to herself. Himuro couldn't help but twitch his lips into a small smile- one would think Araki had just given her the key to her own personal Ferrari instead of the gym's from the way she looked so dumbfounded...

"I guess that means she trusts you." He noted, deciding to take a small break to recuperate from his exhaustion- he had been pushing it more than he'd realized.

"Trust, huh..." Mikoto mumbled to herself, her tone wistful. For some reason, this small act touched her heart- to think that someone would trust her, when she herself had so much trouble trusting others...

"If you want to leave first, you can." Tatsuya suddenly chimed in when he glanced at the time on the clock- practice had ended quite some time ago, and he guessed that he and Shirato were the only two left in this part of the school, given the time. Mikoto looked up in surprise at him as he continued, "I can always hang on to the keys and lock up for you."

"No, it's okay." Mikoto assured, shaking her head as she placed the key into her pocket. "I'll wait for you to be done."

"You sure?" Himuro questioned skeptically, not wanting to inconvenience the girl. "I might be a while..."

"It's okay. I brought my homework with me, anyway." Mikoto insisted, waving off his concerns as the two of them sat on the bleachers. She then pulled out a bottle from the bag she carried around, handing it to Himuro who accepted it thankfully. "Take your time. We'll walk to the station once you're done."

"Alright. If you're sure." Tatsuya complied, taking a long swig from the bottle he'd been given. Though he felt a bit guilty for keeping her here longer than necessary, he noticed that he felt a bit... happy, that she was willing to wait up for him. That was odd...

"...Himuro-kun." Mikoto suddenly spoke up quietly, her worried tone catching Tatsuya's attention immediately.

"Yeah?" He responded as he pulled the bottle away from his lips, using the collar of his jersey to wipe his lips.

"Are you..." Mikoto hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure about whether or not she should say what she wanted to. Tatsuya just waited patiently as she took a deep breath and clenched her skirt in her lap, before turning to him again. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, surprised at the unexpected question. He had an uncomfortable feeling that he knew what she was referring to, though...

"With your grandfather's passing, and not being able to make it for the Interhigh..." Yep, he had guessed right, and Himuro's grasp on his bottle tightened slightly as Mikoto's eyes darted away briefly. She seemed somewhat embarrassed about what she was saying, but she met his eye again as she continued. "If you're feeling down about it, you don't have to pretend it's fine, alright? At least... not around me."

That last bit took Himuro by surprise, and he blinked as he tried to comprehend what she had just said. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head lightly, glancing back at her as he said, "Atsushi was right. You really are a shy one."

"Come off it." Mikoto implored, her solemn voice cutting Himuro's laughter off. His breath caught for a moment when he looked into her azure eyes, which were bright with a firm, yet gentle expression. "I'm serious, you know."

"...I know." Himuro replied truthfully. After all the time he had spent with Mikoto, he knew her honest nature was something that was prominent in her character. She couldn't deceive and twist things like he did- she merely held back or limited the extent of the truths she spoke. He shot her a small smile in the hopes of getting her to drop the subject- he knew she would catch it, and he really wasn't too comfortable talking about this. "And I'm fine, really."

Silence fell over the two teens when Himuro said that, the tension that stemmed from his discomfort regarding his grandfather's death and his own emotions leaving a heavy feeling in its wake. Himuro just stared at the half-empty bottle on his hands as his mind drifted elsewhere- taking him back to memories of the time spent with his grandfather.

He had been quite close to his mother's old man, especially after a particular incident that had left him quite depressed and almost vengeful back when he was a kid. Tatsuya nearly reached up to touch the left side of his face that his hair covered, before he stopped himself when he remembered where he was- he couldn't let anyone see what lay underneath the curtain of hair. His expression grew a little more bitter when he recalled that low moment in his childhood, and how his grandfather had been the one to hold his hand and offer him support through that tough time. It had in fact been his grandfather who had introduced him to basketball, having taught him how to play it in an attempt to cheer him up back then as well. His grandfather had set the foundation for his skills at the sport he would come to love, given him reassurance when he needed it most, corrected his manners and read bedtime stories to him whenever he had trouble sleeping as a kid... his grandfather had meant the world to him.

And now, he was gone. Just like that, without any warning, without giving Tatsuya a chance to thank him for all that he had done for him- for moulding him into the young man he had become. If there was one thing Tatsuya was grateful for, it was that his passing had been peaceful- or so he'd heard. He wished he had been there, if only to say goodbye...

A soft hand suddenly landed on Tatsuya's arm, and he nearly jumped at the contact. Turning his head curiously, he was vaguely surprised to see Mikoto looking back at him with a sympathetic expression, though her eyes did not betray overbearing pity or apology. She then offered him a small smile- one that was far more honest and sincere than any of the smiles he had expressed earlier.

"I don't know what your relationship with your grandfather was like," She admitted honestly, but kindly. "But don't spend time regretting anything. It doesn't matter if you spent five minutes or five hours with him the last time you saw him- what's important is that you cared, and that you still do."

Himuro found himself unable to respond for a moment, his eyes widened slightly as he stared at Mikoto in mild disbelief. She was comforting him? The girl who rarely expressed herself, who spoke only when spoken to... was trying to comfort him?

"Just..." Mikoto added, a bit more awkwardly when Himuro continued to stare at her in silence. "Take care of yourself, Himuro-kun. If you need anything, I'm here for you."

_"Just remember, if you ever need anything, my boy- I'm here for you_."

The words his grandfather had spoken to him just before he'd left for Japan resonated in Himuro's head, and he had to take a deep breath to calm down when Mikoto said almost the exact same thing. Despite that, he still felt somewhat at ease after hearing her surprisingly long speech- he wondered how she just seemed to know what to say, without even trying. Perhaps she deserved more credit than he gave her...

But that was another story.

"...Of course." Himuro finally managed to say, wishing that he could express his gratitude more clearly. However, his expression became a bit more playful as he reached out and pinched her cheek between his thumb and forefinger, his smirk growing wider when her face scrunched up in annoyance at his taunting actions. "You know, it's really cute when you get worried about me- just like during our match against Akitakogyo."

"That was a trick back then." Mikoto grumbled out, her words mumbled as she pried his hands off her face. "And it's not cute, you dunce!"

"If you say so." Himuro shrugged nonchalantly as he left his bottle on the bench, standing up as he prepared to go back to practice. Glancing back at the brunette while he picked up the basketball he'd been using, he shot her a smile- this time, it was actually genuine. "But in all honesty... thank you."

"It's no big deal." Mikoto shrugged, pulling her bag onto her lap as she dug around for her workbook- she might as well make use of this free time...

"On the contrary..." Tatsuya murmured, his voice so soft Mikoto might not have noticed had they not been the only two in the gym. As she looked back at him once more, Himuro still had his back to her, his expression shielded from her sight as his hair fell over his face. But if she wasn't imagining things, his hold on the basketball seemed a little tighter than usual as he finished his sentence with two, simple words that left her wondering what he really meant when he said...

"It is."

* * *

Two days after Himuro announced his absence during the Interhigh, he and Shirato found themselves walking to the train station- after her gymnastics training had ended- for what would be the last time until school started up again. He'd actually taken the liberty of going to school today despite the classes being off for the summer holidays just to take this last chance to talk with her before he left for America the next day, using the excuse that he just wanted to catch one last glimpse of her 'superbly beautiful gymnastic skills' to take with him on his trip.

Mikoto had called him an idiot for going through all that trouble for such a pathetic reason, but he knew she was touched by his dedication... at least, that's what he chose to believe.

"Well?" Tatsuya chimed in expectantly once the two of them stood on the waiting platform at the train station, earning a suspicious glance from Mikoto.

"What?" She asked cautiously, scanning his face for any hint of what he was planning with that cheeky tone of his...

"Aren't you going to miss me when I'm gone?" Himuro asked, putting on a tone of mock-hurt as he continued his act.

"As if. A week without you bothering me is a godsend." Mikoto answered simply, not bothering to play along.

"You have to admit that I make your life more interesting." He insisted, trying his best to make her admit it.

"That's more of a curse than a blessing."

"You'll miss me."

"Highly doubtful." Mikoto groused once more, still refusing to budge. Himuro gave a sigh- though he was honestly quite entertained- before he tilted his head and bent down, lowering himself to her height so that their faces were barely inches apart.

It had the desired effect.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" Mikoto took a few steps back in surprise, nearly stumbling into someone else as she did so. Quickly apologizing to the lady whose foot she had almost stepped on, she turned back to glare at Himuro who- much to her chagrin- only smiled mysteriously at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I'm going on a really long flight back to some foreign country- who knows what might happen along the way. The plane could crash, or get hijacked..." He lamented mournfully, his overly dejected tone further piquing her annoyance. What a drama queen. "Don't I at least get a special goodbye in case I don't come back? A kiss, maybe?"

"In your dreams." Shirato refused blandly.

"Don't you mean in yours?" Tatsuya teased, his smirk widening when he noted Mikoto scowling to hide the blush that rose to her face at his scandalous remark. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You don't have to look so serious all the time- smiling more often would do you some good."

"Look who's talking," Mikoto deadpanned, her lips pursing into a frown. "Stone-face."

"Short-stuff." Himuro shot back easily, almost without trying.

"Egoist."

"Hermit."

"Narcissist."

"Recluse."

"Butthead."

"Fuddy-duddy."

"Are we really going to go down this road?" Mikoto finally snapped in exasperation as she scowled at Himuro, who only continued to look amused throughout their exchange. Tatsuya lips twitched upwards at the corners when he observed her eye starting to twitch again, but quickly smothered it for fear of offending her.

"I would prefer not to. Your insults were gradually decreasing in their wit." He jested good-naturedly, earning a scoff from Shirato in response. Just when he thought that was the end of it, Mikoto suddenly took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for a huge, difficult task.

And then she turned to face him fully, awkwardly spreading out her arms as she did so. For a moment, Himuro just blinked at the girl's open arms in mild confusion- what was she trying to do?

"Well? You wanted some sort of special goodbye, right?" Mikoto asked snappily, her face flushed as she averted her gaze in embarrassment. "Hurry up before I change my mind."

Oh. So that was what the gesture meant.

Hesitantly debating what he was to do now that she had given an unexpectedly positive response to his teasing, Himuro slowly took a step forth, extending his own arms as he did so. Carefully placing them around the girl, he automatically tensed when she moved in to return the hug without missing a beat, unsure of how to respond to this sudden display of affection. However, after a short moment, he found himself relaxing as he slowly allowed himself to lean into her embrace- it felt... sincere. Comforting.

Unconsciously, Himuro's arms tightened around Shirato, his eyes falling shut for a brief moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd received such a heartfelt gesture, let alone returned one. It seemed to spur a feeling of calmness within him- a warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time; that he was unaware he needed during this time of mourning.

Unexpectedly, Himuro found himself very reluctant to let go.

"I'll see you soon, Himuro-kun." Mikoto muttered quietly, her face growing uncomfortably warm. She couldn't believe she was doing this in public... for once, she was grateful for his tall stature- that way no one could see her red face as she leaned it into his shoulder. "Stay safe."

"Yeah. See you." Himuro murmured in response, still not releasing his hold on her. Mikoto couldn't see his face, but she could feel more blood rushing to her own cheeks with each second that he didn't pull away from the hug. Her heartbeat began to quicken too, much to her distress. She dearly hoped he couldn't sense it...

Thankfully, the PA system announced the arrival of his train just then, and Mikoto spotted the familiar carriage as it rounded the corner, much to her relief.

"Uhm, Himuro-kun... your train is here." She pointed out awkwardly, forcefully shoving aside the senseless disappointment that she suddenly felt about having to break the moment.

"Ah, so it is." Himuro observed nonchalantly, though he was anything but. As they both stepped away from each other, he simply plastered on another half-smile as he met her eye again, not betraying any of the perplexing emotions he was feeling. "Well, just remember to save that date for me when I get back, alright?"

"It's not a date." Mikoto retorted instantly. Her response coaxed a lighthearted chuckle from Tatsuya as he deliberately moved in closer, wearing a taunting smirk while his face hovered just inches from her own.

"You keep telling yourself that." He teased, before finally turning around and making his way towards the open doors of his train- people were already crowding into the carriage at this point, so he had to settle for standing instead. As he looked back up at Mikoto, he shot her one last, sincere smile and playfully blew her a kiss, prompting her to roll her eyes disdainfully as she pretended to brush off his kiss without batting an eyelash- Tatsuya's smile only widened at that.

This 'special goodbye' wasn't too shabby.

As the doors to the train closed and the carriage moved out of the station, Mikoto noticed with slight surprise that she was experiencing a vague feeling of loss- loneliness, almost. The conflicting emotions brought on by what she knew was only going to be a short parting from her friend was a foreign feeling to her, and she frowned a little as she struggled to identify it. However, despite all that, Mikoto found herself gazing wistfully after the train that had just left the station, her mouth moving unconsciously as she uttered the words...

"...Come back soon."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: HELLO EVERYONE. I'M BACK \o3o/ So sorry for the long wait- there was just so much going on and I only just found the time to write, so do forgive me, and thanks for sticking around despite the hiatus! Ya'll just keep rocking on 8'D**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and everyone who favourited and followed this story! LincoeAlisson3298, VixenOfMeiraz, LeoInuyaka, PhoenixRage92, The Inner Mind of A Basilisk, lostinthefridge, RomanticKissez, Hisashi Jeagerjaquez, PurePrincess, AnimeFreak145, Red Appasionata and Bliss Autumn, thank you so much for the feedback! Huggles to you all qwq**

**Also, please read in case of minor confusion for this chapter!**

**So uh, a little note about the timeline during which these events are taking place: Everything with Mikoto and the team is occurring during the 'present time' in this story, while Himuro's bits all 'occurred' some time beforehand. I only wrote it as if they were occurring synonymously because I couldn't think of another way to separate the two, and well... also because I'm lazy *bricked*. Hope that makes sense, and I do hope ya'll enjoy this chapter**!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC**

* * *

Getting her peers in the gymnastics club to understand that she would be headed down to Tokyo for the first two weeks of summer holidays with a bunch of loud, hyperactive males and a lady who could have passed for a mafia boss from another club had proved to be quite an interesting experience for Mikoto. Apparently, her running off with a bunch of members of a club she wasn't officially a part of was a total surprise to the others- Mikoto didn't blame them, she was rarely seen speaking to anyone most of the time, so being rounded up by the basketball team nearly out of the blue wasn't exactly an everyday occurence. But she figured it was getting pretty close.

Hinata had, thankfully, let her off easy without questioning too much, but had made her swear that she wouldn't skimp out on any other practices in the future. Matsuki had put quite simply that she would drag Mikoto by the ankles with them if she had to, and that she would bite off the arms of any basketball team member who would try to stop her.

Mikoto often questioned why she befriended the scary ones. But she figured she was lucky enough to have friends in the first place, so she didn't linger upon it.

Getting her parents to understand, however, had been a much simpler process. Her dad had stayed true to his word, informing her aunt and uncle of her arrival in Tokyo and had even helped to assure her anxious mother of her safety. Apparently, the presence of Coach Araki during the trip was enough to convince Megumi that her daughter was in good hands- it would seem that her mother recognized Araki's name, though how and why exactly... Mikoto was scared to find out. Maybe Araki had a kid who went to the kindergarten where Megumi worked- but then again, Shirato wasn't sure if the coach was even married. All in all, the preparation for Mikoto's trip to Tokyo with Yosen's basketball team for the Interhigh had gone rather smoothly.

However, the days following Himuro's leave had been rather uneventful- the team continued their training, and Mikoto kept doing small duties such as rewatching old and new recordings of previous matches to get a better idea of what they would be facing. To her dismay, Shirato found her mind wandering back to the boy who had left for America barely a week ago much more often than she would have liked, and it was driving her up the wall. Though the rest of the team and Matsuki had proven to be good company, she still couldn't deny that the walks home by herself seemed a lot less comfortable than she remembered, and she knew deep down- really, _really_ deep down- that she missed the annoying prat that was Tatsuya Himuro.

But she'd rather have died before she admitted any of that.

The time for her to leave for Tokyo rolled around faster than Mikoto had expected. Before she knew it, she found herself standing near the front door of her house with her parents, dressed in her white hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, dark sweatpants and a pair of comfy converses as she prepared to bid them goodbye. But first, she had to make sure of a few very, _very_ important things...

"Make sure you feed him at least twice a day."

"Miko..."

"And don't forget to bathe him once a week- two weeks, if he stays clean."

"Miko..."

"And if he gets agitated, just toss him a couple of snacks."

"Miko."

"Oh, but if he still remains excited, his bone is on the table in the-"

"Miko!" Exasperated, Megumi sighed as she finally caught her daughter's attention, stopping her from continuing as she continued to tick things off her fingers. She rolled her blue eyes at Mikoto as she continued more calmly, "We'll take care of Toshi, okay? He's not going to die while you're gone for a week."

"A week and a half." Mikoto promptly corrected before she realized how rude she sounded. Twirling the end of her braid nervously around her finger, she adjusted the position of the travelling bag on her shoulder as she muttered a sheepish apology. However, she couldn't stop her eyes from flickering back to her beloved dog, who sat obediently in front of her with his tongue lolling out. She was going to miss her big furball of a baby...

"Just worry about yourself, alright?" Megumi sighed again, only this time her tone was much gentler. Her worry seemed to override her once again however, and she was quick to add on some more maternal instructions. "Don't stay out late, make sure you always have a friend with you, and don't skip out any meals, okay?"

"Alright." Mikoto agreed soothingly in the hopes of reassuring her overly protective mother. Despite always waiting for the opportunity to ship her daughter off with almost any bachelor possible, Megumi was always extremely concerned about Mikoto's safety, hence the self defense classes she had enrolled her in when she was younger. "I'll be okay, mom. Shiori-obasan and Hitoshi-ojisan will be able to watch out for me just fine."

"Even so..." Her mother continued to fret over her, but before she could continue Hajime placed a coaxing hand on her shoulder.

"Megumi." The brunette gave his wife a look of understanding that said something between 'don't worry' and 'that's enough'- a look that Mikoto was almost tempted to look away from; it was just so... intimate, somehow. In response, Megumi closed her mouth as she heeded Hajime's silent advice, and they both turned to their daughter.

"Take care of yourself, Miko. And don't forget about Daiki." Hajime advised, and Mikoto didn't miss the slight emphasis on the last part of his sentence. Just the thought of seeing Daiki again made her curl the cord of her bracelet tightly around her finger out of habit, and she nodded stiffly.

"I won't." She answered firmly, not letting any of her doubt show through her words. A small smile tugging at her lips, Mikoto then stepped forth to wrap her arms around her parents, bidding them farewell one last time before she left. "I'll see you- mom, dad."

"See you, Miko." Hajime replied softly, placing a hand on his daughter's head as Megumi hugged her tightly and murmured a quick, "Take care, dearest."

When Mikoto pulled away from her parents, Toshi let out a small bark, as if demanding some attention as well. The girl couldn't help but laugh at that as she knelt on the floor, giving her loyal companion a huge hug as she ruffled the fur on Toshi's head.

"Oh, Toshi." She cooed, a slight grin on her face as she rubbed away the saliva from where he licked her. "I'll miss you too, boy. Make sure you take care of things while I'm not around, alright?" A bark from Toshi was all she received in response, and Mikoto only chuckled again as she tapped his nose lightly. "That's my boy."

Standing up from where she had been kneeling, Mikoto ran through her mental checklist one more time as she made sure she'd packed everything she needed. Once she was sure that she had everything, she looked back one last time at her parents, shooting them another soft smile as she reached for the doorknob. It was time, then.

"I'll be heading off, now." She announced as she stepped through the door, waving at her family as she left with a conclusive, "See you."

"Stay safe!" Megumi called out as Mikoto closed the door, giving a small sigh as she placed her chin in her hand. Her blue eyes were wistful as she smiled sadly after her daughter, idly commenting to her husband, "She's growing up, huh?"

"Whatever." Hajime replied shortly, before a small sniff from him caught Megumi's attention. Curiously glancing up at her husband, she saw that he was stoically looking in the other direction- could it be that he was...

"Hajime..." Megumi blinked, slowly putting two and two together. "Are you tearing up?"

"I'm not!" He denied immediately, rubbing his forearm gruffly over his eyes. Megumi just grinned and patted his cheek affectionately, shaking her head at the way Hajime so poorly tried to cover up his emotional moment.

"Oh, you're still the sensitive crybaby I met in college." She sighed, earning a grunt from Hajime as he continued to avoid her eye.

"Whatever." He muttered again, turning around and heading into the living room in his attempt at nonchalance. Megumi just chuckled warmly as she reminisced about how little her husband had changed since their younger years- always acting so dismissive and cool despite his true feelings. And though Mikoto had inherited her mother's looks, in the end she really was her father's daughter...

Well, perhaps it was for the best, Megumi deduced with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she recalled the friend of Mikoto's whom she had met just a couple of weeks ago. She wasn't completely blind to the boy's charisma- his beguiling ways and the deceptive innocence he'd used to get on her good side was very effective, and somehow still retained its subtlety. An interesting character, but she doubted that any of those charms worked their magic on Mikoto...

Tatsuya Himuro would be in for a pretty interesting time if he chose to pursue her daughter, that much was for certain. And Megumi was just counting the moments until it happened.

* * *

"Tatsuya," The sound of Hideki Himuro's voice alerted Tatsuya to his father's presence at the entrance to his room just as the teen was zipping up his suitcase. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, dad. I'll be right there." Tatsuya responded, looking around to confirm that he had everything he needed. When his father didn't respond, however, Tatsuya looked back at him curiously... only for his face to fall when he realized that his dad was staring at his face with a remorseful expression- the expression he hated so much. It was then that he realized that he hadn't pushed his hair over the left side of his face like he normally did, and he quickly did so upon realizing his careless inattention. However, despite how chagrined he felt, Himuro didn't let it show as he put on a fake, reassuring smile, hefting his luggage up as he spoke in a light tone.

"Don't look at it so openly. I'll get self-conscious." He joked half-heartedly, attempting to get his dad to loosen up. However, when his father met his eye again his expression still hadn't changed, and Himuro could feel his hand tightening around the bags he carried as his father opened his mouth to speak.

"Son, I'm-"

"Dad." Tatsuya interrupted immediately, his expression softening as he looked Hideki in the eye. He then walked forth with his luggage and placed a hand on his dad's shoulder- a gesture of goodwill- before he continued. "I've told you before- it's okay. Let's just get ready to go, alright?"

Before Hideki could reply, Himuro was already out the doorway and heading down the stairs, not even looking back until he reached his parents' car in the driveway.

"Is there anything else that needs to be loaded into the car?" Tatsuya asked his mother, Ayame Himuro as he placed his bag into the boot of his father's car.

"No, everything's packed and ready to go." Ayame responded, shutting the boot of the car after doing a quick check. The dark-haired woman in her early fourties was still quite a sight to behold despite her age, and it was evident to anyone who saw her that Tatsuya had inherited the majority of his looks from his mother.

"That's good, then." Tatsuya nodded, opening the door to the passenger's seat for his mother as he continued. "The tickets?"

"With your father." Ayame glanced back at their house at the mention of her husband as she got into the car, sighing as she turned back to her son. Much to Himuro's dismay, she was wearing the same expression his father had been just moments ago. "Tatsuya, you know he never goes a day without regretting what he did."

_'And I can never go a day without being reminded of it.'_ Tatsuya thought, the memory of that one day still as vivid as ever in his mind. But he didn't voice his disdain as he reached out for Ayame's hand and squeezed it, giving her a gentle smile. His mother's comfort came first and foremost even though exasperation crept into his mind. "Mom, please stop worrying. I forgave him a long time ago. Can we just move on?"

"Tatsuya..." Ayame trailed off, not knowing what to say. No matter what they said or did, they couldn't exactly change the past now, could they?

"I don't hate him for it." Tatsuya assured his mother, attempting to comfort her. It had been years since the incident that had caused a rift between him and his father, and as the saying goes- time heals all wounds. But even so, it would still be a lie to say that he didn't feel that twinge of bitterness whenever he was reminded of that day. "Please don't fret about it. He's my dad, and I still love him as a son should."

"Out of obligation, or out of affection?" Ayame questioned warily, only half wanting to know the answer.

"Both." Tatsuya simply smiled back at her in his usual, placating manner, unwilling and unable to ever get upset at his mother.

"Just trust me, mom." Tatsuya implored, ever patient as he always was with those he cared for. It had always been in his nature to be gentle, but as she looked at her son now, Ayame could only wonder just how it was possible that her little boy had attained that look in his eye that spoke of experience and maturity far beyond his age- a look that no boy at the mere age of seventeen should possess. And as Tatsuya shut the door for her, his next few words would continue to resonate in her mind all throughout their journey...

"The only one who needs to forgive him... is himself."

* * *

"Just how many snacks did you bring for the trip?!"

"I didn't count."

"Dude, there's enough in here to feed a village in China."

"As someone who hails from the country you speak of, I can affirm that this only applies to specific regions of-"

"It's called a hyperbole, Liu. Get with the times."

"Yo, how many pairs of underwear did you bring for the trip, Nakagawa?"

"Don't ask that so casually!"

"Why not?"

"This is..." Mikoto's face was deadpan as she was bombarded with the sound of conversation from every direction, her eye twitching slightly as she held the attendance sheet in her hands. The whole basketball team was crowded in front of the school as they waited to board their bus, chattering idly- and loudly- as they loaded their bags into the storage compartment. Next to her, Okamura shot her a sideways glance, offering a word to finish her sentence.

"Interesting?"

"Madness." Mikoto corrected. Okamura gave a nervous laugh at that, nodding as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It takes some getting used to."

"You've been doing this for three years, now?" Shirato's question earned a nod in response, prompting her to sigh again as she sympathized for the team captain. "Figures."

"Are we all gathered here?" Araki approached the two teens to check in on the team's attendance, having left the job to the two more responsible members of the basketball team.

"All here, coach." "Yeah." They both responded, earning a satisfied hum from the coach. By simply clapping her hands together, Araki caught the attention of all the rowdy basketball players- all of them gathering around her in an orderly fashion automatically, like they were trained to do so.

Mikoto would never understand just how Araki had gotten them whipped into such subservience. One of the perks of being a dragon lady, she supposed. Personally, she wouldn't have minded having that kind of power.

"Alright!" Masako announced loudly, making sure that she would be heard loud and clear. "You know the drill, boys. Sit wherever you want, but cause any problems and you're walking to Tokyo. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Coach!" Came the usual response from the team. That seemed to satisfy Araki, as she gave another curt nod before being the first to board the bus- giving the 'go' for the rest of them to follow suit.

"Scary as ever, that woman." Fukui muttered under his breath as he flung himself into his seat near the back of the bus. However, much to his horror, Araki spun around from her seat at the very front to glare at him dangerously, and the third year soon found shivers running down his spine at the poison in her gaze.

"She heard you!" Okamura hissed, paling alongside the rest of his teammates at Fukui's horrendous slip-up.

"You would do well to hide, Fukui." Liu suggested, seemingly unaffected by the whole scenario. Fukui did as he was told- he pushed himself as far back into the cushion of his seat as possible, wishing for all the world that he could just melt into the ground instead of face whatever Araki had in store for him after that comment.

Mikoto, seated closer to the front than the rest of the team was busy making herself comfortable as she had two seats all to herself- the luxury of being a team manager, lucky for her. However, Araki unexpectedly called out to her as she was just about to plug in her headphones, stopping her from doing so just yet.

"Shirato," Araki's voice was as stern as ever, her expression unwaveringly stoic. "I trust you'll have someone waiting for you at the stop?"

"Ah, yes." Mikoto nodded hesitantly. "My aunt and uncle already know I'm heading down, so they'll probably pick me up."

_'Or get their son to do it.'_ She thought with a small sigh. But despite her nervousness at the prospect, she knew her dad was right- she would have to face this sooner or later.

"Very well." Masako nodded and leaned back into her seat, her eyes shutting. "Then we shall be on our way."

When the bus started moving, Shirato assumed that the noise would die down and give her a bit of peace during the six-hour road trip from Akita to Tokyo. However, even after ten minutes since the bus left the school, the racket still hadn't died down, and it was all Mikoto could do to not throw herself from the bus and walk to Tokyo instead.

"Hey, that was my seat!"

"No, I was here first! See that tissue? I booked it!"

"That doesn't count!"

"That's the way it works in some countries."

"Well this isn't one of those countries!"

"Hey, Murasakibara. Could you share some of your chips?"

"No. Shoo shoo."

"What's with the 'shoo shoo'?! I'm your captain- show me some respect!"

"Fine. You shall not pass."

"I do not believe that is the appropriate movie reference to make at this point, Murasakibara."

"Damn right it isn't!"

A small whimper escaped Mikoto's lips as she cranked up the volume on her music player to full blast, trying to drown out the noise. Over to her left, she could see that the coach still had her eyes closed as she lay back in her seat- maybe all those years of dealing with the Yosen team had trained her to just tune out the racket... or rendered her deaf. But given the way she had turned on Fukui earlier, Mikoto doubted that was the case. This trip would be so much easier if someone more level headed could keep her grounded- someone who would be able to talk some sense into his teammates so that they would quiet down a little, or even to converse with just to make things more bearable...

"Hey, has anyone seen my- oi! You took my iPod!"

"Idiot! You've been sitting on it this whole time!"

"Oh. Thanks."

Mikoto sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. Well, she knew one thing for sure, though- she was spending six hours on the bus with a bunch of idiots.

* * *

As Himuro boarded the plane alongside his parents, he took his time walking up the aisle as he searched for his seat. His parents were sitting together, but he would have to sit in another row. Hopefully he would get a flight partner that was easy to deal with...

The moment Himuro found his seat, he knew he was doomed. The seat next to his was occupied by a kid who looked to be about ten or eleven years old, who also happened to be screaming at a couple whom he assumed were the kids' parents in the row behind him.

Himuro sighed inwardly. It was going to be a long flight.

* * *

About an hour into the journey, things eventually quieted down on the bus, much to Mikoto's relief. However, things would never be so simple for her- the girl noticed as much when Liu came over to her seat and asked her to join the others at the back of the bus.

"We wish to use this opportunity to better acquaint ourselves with you," he had said. Shirato knew what he really meant was "they won't stop asking me questions so now I'm pulling you into the picture to make them leave me alone".

Wei Liu was such a good friend. And by 'good' Shirato meant a complete and utter shmuck. However, since she couldn't think up a legit excuse, Mikoto acquiesced to the request.

But of course, she made a mental note to make sure Liu received double the training for this little stunt.

"So what position did you have on Teiko's team, Shirato-san?" Saito Iwasaki- a redheaded first-year with dark eyes, who was in the second string- asked curiously as she sat in one of the unoccupied seats at the back of the bus. The question immediately turned all eyes on her, and Mikoto felt like cringing away from the sudden attention she was receiving. Apparently, her past affiliation with the Generation of Miracles' team was something that had not escaped the ears of the team, unfortunately.

"Well," Mikoto ran her fingers along her bracelet for a moment as she contemplated the question, unsure of the answer herself. "It's sort of difficult to expl-"

"Shira-chin was our personal chef." Murasakibara contributed- much to Mikoto's chagrin.

"What?!" To further increase her exasperation, the rest of the team actually seemed to buy it.

"Do they even have that in basketball teams?" Naegi pondered, his bespectacled face taking on a puzzled look- at least _one_ member of the team seemed to have a bit more sense...

"Perhaps Teiko is of a whole new class altogether..."

"That wasn't the case." Mikoto interrupted Okamura's musings before things could get out of hand, sounding almost exasperated. "I just helped their manager out with preparing their lunches. That doesn't make me a 'personal chef'."

"It kinda does." Fukui commented dryly, being his usual, snarky self.

Mikoto couldn't help it- her eye twitched again.

"Buzz off." She deadpanned. The senior just scoffed and looked out the window, while the others continued to ponder what other 'privileges' the Teiko team might have had, as if Mikoto hadn't spoken at all. Murasakibara wasn't much help- he just sat there and took it all in, not bothering to deny any claims. In fact, he looked almost smug as he glanced at Mikoto, even raising an eyebrow as if he were mocking her.

The girl sighed- not for the first time since the bus started moving. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Himuro was not having a good time at all. On a side note, he now knew just how loudly kids could scream when they threw a tantrum- he could hear the kid through his headphones at full blast. And he was playing heavy metal.

He honestly wondered if there was any way this could possibly get worse.

* * *

"Wait, so you're an artist?"

"Being able to draw doesn't make me an artist, Nakagawa."

"Anyone can draw. It's whether or not their drawings meet certain standards that decides their skill."

"I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I have no idea what he's saying."

"You're slow, Iwa-chin."

"Murasakibara, you-"

"That's enough, you two." Okamura intercepted, not for the first time since they had all started playing 'Two Truths And A Lie'- yes, they were running short on things to keep them entertained, and they'd only been on the bus for two hours. To top it off, they hadn't even arrived at the first rest stop yet. As he turned towards the only female in their group, everyone else followed his gaze- Mikoto almost shuddered at how unconsciously coordinated they were, even off the court.

"It's your turn now, Shirato-san. What have you got?" Kenichi's question earned a brief pause from Mikoto, who despite having time to accept that her turn would roll around, still had difficulties piecing together a decent lie.

"I like blueberries, I can ride a bike, and math is my favourite subject."

"Math is your favourite subject." Mamoru Nakagawa deadpanned, his green eyes unamused. "Really."

"You guys haven't pointed out the lie yet." Mikoto retorted defensively.

"The part about the bike." They all replied in harmony, Murasakibara crunching on another chip for added emphasis.

"That obvious?" Mikoto muttered, though inside she wanted to hit herself. For all her acting skills, she was terrible with telling lies.

"Yeah." They all responded once more, once again making Shirato want to shudder at their synchronicity. However, before anyone else could say anything, there was a loud popping noise- sounding almost like a gunshot- and the entire bus jerked forward all of a sudden. Mikoto only just managed to steady herself when her shoulder hit the back of the seat in front of her and she planted her feet on the ground to stop herself from flying out of her chair- she was lucky, some of the others were actually thrown out of their seats and were on the floor, looking dazed as they sat there blinking in confusion.

"What on earth was that?" Liu exclaimed, his usually bland voice laced with surprise. The others echoed his words, not quite understanding what had just happened.

"My snacks..." Murasakibara lamented almost woefully, his eyes fixated on the fallen packet of chips that he had just opened. The other guys didn't even look at him strangely anymore- not only because they were more concerned with other things, but also because they were used to it by now. Nakagawa did, however, give him a sympathetic pat on the back.

"Is everyone alright?" Araki's voice piped up, apparently having woken up after the commotion. The coach was standing up from her seat now, eyes darting over each and every member to assess the damage.

"We're okay, coach!" Okamura responded, giving a thumbs up to affirm that no one was seriously hurt.

"Please don't panic, everyone!" "The bus driver spoke up, having recovered from the initial shock of the sudden occurence. Glancing out the window, Mikoto noted with slight relief that they had slowed to a stop near the side of the road, so their vehicle wasn't in much danger of being hit by another car.

"I'll go take a look." The bus driver announced as he stood up, turning on the hazard lights before he opened the bus doors and stepped out. "Please wait a moment."

"What do you think is going on?" Fukui mused aloud.

"Perhaps the hairy gorilla's weight has finally taken a toll on our vehicle." Liu suggested, his voice back to its normal timbre- in other words, the usual tone he used whenever he annoyed Okamura.

"Hey! Who're you callin' a hairy gorilla?!" The captain retorted angrily, his initial concern gone in a blink of an eye as he spun around to glare at Liu.

"Is now really the time for this?" Murasakibara drawled- surprisingly being the voice of reason this time.

"Murasakibara's right." Fukui agreed, again surprising everyone at the suddenly responsible attitude he was showing. Who would have thought? "Try to reel in the testosterone, guys. Now isn't the time."

"Let's try and be positive here." Mikoto added as well, trying to play her part in getting them to settle down. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Just as she finished saying that, the bus driver suddenly cam on board again, his expression sheepish.

"We have a slight problem..." He said slowly, scratching his head in a gesture of nervousness. "...The bus broke down."

All of the team members turned to look at Mikoto, their gazes piercingly accusing.

Shirato wanted to lie down in front of a moving car.

* * *

It got worse.

Himuro didn't know which he preferred- having the kid scream, or watching his face turn green as he got sick.

He would find out soon enough.

* * *

"Put your back into it, ladies." Mikoto drawled sarcastically as she lay her chin in her arms, which were crossed across the ledge of one of the open back windows on the bus.

"If you think it's so easy, why don't you come and give us a hand?!" Fukui snapped back as he glared up at the manager, his face shining with a sheen of sweat. He, along with the rest of the basketball team, were pushing the bus slowly along the freeway towards the nearest petrol kiosk- which, according to the driver, was half a kilometer away.

And, being a girl, Mikoto had been exempted from the physical exertion they were currently suffering. As was the coach, who by default was exempted simply because she was Masako Araki, and thus the basketball team's personal slave driver.

Times like these were when Mikoto was glad she was female.

"Oh, I can't do that." Mikoto placed a hand over her chest, taking on a deceptively innocent expression. "You see, I'm a delicate little flower- the exertion would be far too much for my frail bones."

"Bollocks." Fukui spat back emotionlessly, though his eyes gleamed with the promise of revenge. Oh, this underclassman was going to pay for her cheek- manager or no...

"Just hurry up and push, boys." Araki called out, sounding disinterested. "Only a few hundred metres to go."

She received a chorus of groans in response.

"Masako-chin, Shira-chin." Murasakibara's tapped on the back door of the bus prompting Mikoto to look back at him- he was so tall he didn't have to stand on his tiptoes to look through the glass. His expression was bored as he met Shirato's eye, but there was also a pleading edge to his voice. "Can I take a break?"

"You're the biggest of them all, and you're asking for a break?" Masako questioned as she walked over, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the Yosen centre.

"Yeah." Atsushi said simply.

Both Araki and Mikoto stared at Murasakibara, who stared back. Then, the two women looked at each other, as if exchanging their thoughts simply by making eye contact. Murasakibara _had_ been the quietest of the bunch throughout the long, excruciatingly noisy journey...

"..."

"..."

Five minutes later, the Yosen team was rioting.

"_This is extortion!_" Okamura hollered, the vein on his forehead visibly throbbing.

"_I demand equal rights!_" Liu added, completely losing his cool.

"Keep pushing, everyone." Murasakibara cheered half-heartedly, waving a pocky stick out the window as he sat comfortably aboard the bus.

_"Shut the hell up, Murasakibara!"_

And once again, Mikoto couldn't help but admire just how well coordinated the team could be.

* * *

The kid puked. Not all of it went into the sick bag.

Himuro definitely preferred the screaming.

* * *

It was noticeably a lot more quiet on the bus when none of the guys were actually on board, Mikoto noted at the back of her mind as she watched the video playing on her phone screen. She had finished her lunch quite a bit earlier than the others at the rest stop they were now at, and since she found no need to stay with them that much longer she figured she would just get on the bus and do something productive as she waited for them to get on again. Besides, the guys were all still exhausted from their little 'exercise' on the freeway.

Throughout all the training sessions they'd had, the team had focused on not only strengthening their own abilities, but also on what they could do to exploit any weaknesses in their opponent's technique. Whether it was a hesitation in their passing, a repetitive motion that they used, or a limit to their range, they were intent on turning anything and anything they could to their advantage. Though Mikoto knew her skills were nothing like those of Momoi's- whose experience and accurate predictions were something that Shirato greatly respected- she did manage to acquire some ideas and techniques from watching her friend back in Teiko, so she wasn't completely new to the idea of investigating and scouting opponent teams.

The girl's expression was blank as she watched the video recording of the Seirin vs Kirisaki Daiichi match from the Interhigh preliminaries last year, but her eyes were sharp and alert as she tried to take in as much information as she could from the video. Though Yosen wasn't facing Kirisaki in the IH this year, Shirato wasn't taking any chances- with the Winter Cup at the end of the year, she wasn't going to risk missing out on anything she could gather about this particular team in case they did have to face them later on. In her lap sat the book she used to record all the information the team had against Kirisaki- graphs, notes, training techniques to deploy in order to best them... everything they had was in there.

But even then, Mikoto just knew that it wasn't enough- because they had no idea what Makoto Hanamiya had up his sleeve. The girl had been a witness to one of Hanamiya's matches during her first year in Teiko, and to put it lightly... she had been disgusted.

Azure eyes followed the movements of each Kirisaki Daiichi player on the screen, and Shirato couldn't help but be utterly fascinated at how coordinated and well thought out their technique was. It wasn't the first time she'd watched this replay, but her grudging admiration for their captain's direction and accuracy never depleted every time she did so. His play style was disgusting in every sense of the word- unfair, uncouth, merciless- and yet it was utterly ingenious. Each move was deliberate, each change was subtle yet significant, nothing was done without a motive... loathe as she was to admit it, Hanamiya was brilliant.

If only his brilliance didn't cater to such menacing purposes.

Unconsciously, Mikoto found herself tensing up as the moment she dreaded watching began to approach. However, she forced herself to keep watching as Seirin's and Kirisaki Daiichi's centres clashed for the rebound ... the exact same time that the Kirisaki centre delayed his jump.

Because she anticipated it, Mikoto saw all of it happen. But if she had been there, at the exact moment that it had happened, she knew she would never have known what hit Teppei Kiyoshi. And though she couldn't see anything from the video's field of vision... she just knew that all of this was part of Hanamiya's plan.

The scream that left Kiyoshi's mouth when the Kirisaki centre hit his already wavering knee made Mikoto flinch, prompting her to quickly pause the video she was watching in her phone. She placed her index and middle finger over her lips and exhaled slowly, her eyes wide as she stared at the damage Kirisaki Daiichi did to Seirin's centre, who was all but writhing on the ground in severe pain. This was the real reason she had watched this particular replay- this exact scene. Because every time it came on, the only thing she could see was one of Yosen's players in Iron Heart's place, clutching at their leg and screaming in agony...

"I'm surprised you actually downloaded the replays."

The sudden voice that came nearly out of nowhere made Mikoto jump in her seat, her hands fumbling as she nearly dropped her phone. The girl struggled to maintain a calm expression as she faced the person who had spoken, and all the while Araki simply raised an eyebrow as she met Shirato's eye questioningly.

"C-coach!" Mikoto stuttered, yanking out her earphones as she tried to think of a good reason for her actions. How could she not have realized that the coach was standing right there in front of her- actually, how long _had_ she been standing there?! "I-I'm sorry, I was just-"

"It's fine. It's good to see that you're taking your duties seriously." Araki raised a hand before Mikoto could start blabbering, much to the younger girl's relief. Masako simply crossed her arms and leaned against the chair in front of Mikoto's nonchalantly as she said, "The boys will be coming up eventually. Okamura's handling them for now."

"I see." Mikoto murmured, still somewhat embarrassed at the way she had reacted. There was silence between the two ladies for an awkward moment- at least, that's what it felt like to Mikoto- and when Araki spoke again, her solemn tone caught Mikoto's attention immediately.

"Seirin vs Kirisaki Daiichi- Interhigh preliminaries last year." Araki commented, looking out the window as she spoke. "If not for the injury inflicted onto their centre, they may just have made it to the finals- maybe even taken home the win."

"They were putting up a good fight until this point." Mikoto agreed, biting her lip in thought. To think that Kirisaki had gone through all that meticulous planning just to harm Iron Heart- they weren't even aiming for victory, if they were they would have utilized their little stunt much earlier, when the point gap wasn't so wide. If they _had_... Mikoto would hate to imagine what might have happened to the rest of Seirin's team throughout that match.

"What do you feel when you watch this match, Shirato?" Mikoto looked up in surprise at the coach's sudden question, catching the woman's eye as she turned back to look at her. Shirato honestly wasn't sure how to answer that- her hesitant pause as she struggled to put her feelings into words proved as much. What could be used to describe how she felt, every time she watched as Kiyoshi was taken down so heartlessly, all for a match that already had a set outcome? Pity? Regret? Anger?

The image from before flashed in her mind again- the possibility of one of Yosen's members ending up like Seirin's centre- and the words rolled off Mikoto's tongue before she even realized it.

"Afraid." Mikoto confessed, her honesty startling even herself. Why should she fear for the safety of a team that she wasn't even a proper part of? "If they could do this to one of the Uncrowned Kings... then who's to say it couldn't happen to one of our own members?"

Despite her incredulity at her own words, Shirato's response didn't seem to faze Araki as the woman nodded thoughtfully, almost as if she was pleased at her answer. The coach then exhaled a long sigh as she shut her eyes briefly, placing a hand on her head- in that instant, she looked different from the tough, unyielding woman who ran her team ragged with training. She looked almost vulnerable, somehow- as if she were weighed down by a heavy responsibility she had to uphold.

It wasn't exactly wrong to assume so, Mikoto idly thought. Having to guide everyone and constantly being depended upon... it wasn't easy to be a coach, because it was almost like being a parent.

"That's why I'm hoping one of the other teams will take them out during the next Winter Cup." Araki muttered, her voice still as strong as ever despite her tired appearance. "If we don't face them, then we won't risk the odds."

The coach's blunt admittance startled Mikoto, whose eyes widened at her words. If another team had to knock out Kirisaki, who was to say that they wouldn't be harmed the same way that Seirin had?

"One of the other teams might have to suffer the price." As if reading Mikoto's mind, Araki opened her eyes and straightened up, looking more like her usual, calm and collected self as she continued. "But better them than us."

"...That's selfish." Shirato finally murmured, her eyes downcast. To let someone else take the fall for their own benefit... it was almost cruel.

"That's the way it is."

And Mikoto knew that the coach was right. The brunette lowered her head almost shamefully as she couldn't help but agree with Araki's statement- it was selfish, but it was true. She knew that if it came down to it, she would gladly give up another team if it meant protecting her own. If it meant sparing Okamura, Murasakibara, or- heck- even Fukui from Kiyoshi's fate... she would do it.

"You care for this team, don't you, Shirato?" Masako suddenly questioned again, taking Mikoto aback once more with her sudden confrontation. Mikoto could only blink wordlessly at her teacher for a long moment as she considered the question, the hand in which she was holding her phone clenching around the device tightly. Her, caring for the basketball team? It was definitely plausible, but...

_'The only one who can beat me is me.'_

"To be honest, I'm afraid of what they might become." Mikoto toyed with her bracelet again, smiling almost ruefully at Araki as she recalled how much her connection to her former 'team' had hurt her. Not only her, but also Momoi and Kuroko. Those who fell behind were left behind- that was the lesson she had taken with that hurt... and that was why she tried to distance herself from ever getting too close again.

If she was never close to begin with, she couldn't fall behind.

"You shouldn't be. We won't lose them- not even Murasakibara." Araki's soft voice prompted Mikoto to look up again, surprise showing in her expression at the coach's tone. There was an understanding look in the woman's eye- one that was also underlined with a firm determination; that truly revealed the wisdom and experience that she had. "He may be difficult to reason with sometimes, but there is good in him. You have to learn to see that goodness in things, Shirato- even when it seems impossible. And I think you know it."

Those words hit closer to home than Mikoto would have liked, and she could only bite her lip to blurt out a defensive statement. Part of her wanted to deny it- to say that it wasn't her that was in the wrong, but the ones who hurt her. But deep down, she knew the coach was right, and that she couldn't lie to herself about it. Perhaps her old friends weren't completely innocent in this matter... but then again, neither was she.

Kuroko and Momoi were trying their best to fix things between everyone, each in their own way. But as for herself... what was she doing to mend things?

"Don't let the past cloud your judgement." Mikoto heard rather than saw Araki walking back to sit down in her seat- she was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely even caught Masako's words. However, the last piece of advice she gave her before the rest of the basketball team returned would be something that Mikoto would take to heart and reflect upon whenever she looked up at the violet-haired underclassman she was supposed to guide.

"Just take a chance."

* * *

As Himuro stared out at the darkening night sky through the window, his thoughts drifted back to the last time he'd been on a plane, flying from America to Japan. He'd been extremely reluctant to go back then, unwilling to leave the place he had grown up in just to move to some foreign country. Added to the fact that his coach had told him that he would never be able to be her best student just before he was to leave, and the realization that no matter how much he loved the sport he played, he would never truly be the best at it... quite simply, he had come to Japan with his life almost in pieces. He thought he would hate this country, and everything about it that reminded him of his old home.

He had been wrong.

He'd joined a new team. Met new friends, seen new things, found new skills... here, his past didn't matter- it was a new start. And he loved that about this place.

Slate grey eyes landed on the ring he was idly playing with, his long fingers turning it around the chain on which it hung from. He paused from his movements for a moment as he stared at the band of silver, memories of his brother figure coming to the forefront of his mind once again. His eyes clenched shut as he recalled that last, pathetic excuse of a match that was supposed to have settled their promise, his fingers tightening around the ring as well. How he loathed the fact that it hadn't been settled that day. He supposed he could have accepted that win to be done with it, but he would have disgusted himself if he had- it would have mocked his honour, and it would have defeated the purpose of that promise. Would they ever be able to fulfill that oath to see who was better? Or was it yet another hope that he would find crushed before he could even begin to seek it out? Sometimes, he wondered why he continued to torture himself this way- if he could only just abandon basketball for good...

_"You can't just forget about something you're so invested in without at least fighting for it."_

Himuro opened his eyes once more as the Shirato's voice echoed in his mind- one of the first hints he'd gotten that she had her own demons to face. The look on her face back then still prodded his mind sometimes- the sadness in her eyes had been utterly profound, yet her expression remained stoic. That small slip in her calm, collected facade showed the vulnerability and reluctance she carried, and it was almost shocking for Himuro how much she reminded him of himself, back when he'd first come to Japan. That brokenness, how she tried to pick up all the broken pieces to put them together... the way she seemed to hate herself for not being stronger, and yet still possessing the ability to deceive others into believing that nothing was wrong.

They were kindred spirits- fighting different battles, yet facing the same struggles. And for some reason, Himuro found that comforting.

How strange. Life was full of surprises, Himuro deduced with a small smile, his gaze fixated on the waning moon outside the plane's window. He never would have thought that strange, quiet girl who hung out in the gym would ever end up becoming a companion he would come to cherish. A peculiar twist of events, and yet... he didn't mind it at all.

Unconsciously, Himuro found himself smiling as he reached up to touch the bangs shielding half of his face, wondering what Shirato's reaction would be if she saw what lay underneath. He had always been so conscious of it, to the point where he kept it hidden from everyone- even Taiga and Alex. But for some reason, that wasn't the case with Mikoto. In fact... he kind of wanted her to see. Wanted to know what she would say, what she would do...

_'What do you think of me, Shirato-chan?'_

* * *

"You assbutt! Give it back!"

Mikoto growled at the sandy-haired point guard as he looked through her phone, her eyes narrowed into a glare as she tried to jump and grab her phone back. They were down to the last hour of their bus trip and- since they had apparently run out of methods to keep themselves entertained- Fukui had taken it upon himself to try a new game- 'Make The Manager Explode'. The game consisted of Fukui sneaking the phone from Mikoto's pocket when she wasn't looking before standing up in the middle of the aisle, where he then proceeded to read out her messages to the rest of the team.

"Ooh, who's this 'Shintaro' guy?" Smirking, Fukui loaded the message thread as he held the phone out of Mikoto's reach- an easy feat given the height difference between him and the short underclassman.

"None of your business!" Mikoto snapped, having given up on attempting a peaceful resolution to this situation. Thankfully, the other members of the team seemed to know better than to participate in the little game.

"'Die'." Blanching at the straightforwardness of the message, Fukui raised his eyebrows at Shirato as he exited the thread and continued scrolling through her other messages. "Well, he sounds like a pleasant soul. What else have we got..."

Struggling to keep her composure, Mikoto managed a final attempt at compromising with her senior. "Fukui-senpai, I swear-"

"Tetsuya Kuroko..." Fukui mused, ignoring the girl who had frozen at the name of her old crush. "Let's see what conversations we've been having here..."

Oh that was it.

"I said GIVE!"

And Mikoto promptly launched herself onto Fukui's back, yanking at his hair with one hand as the other desperately grabbed at her phone, all the while keeping herself on the senior as she wrapped her legs securely around his torso. In the meantime, Fukui was flailing around as he attempted to throw her off, exclaiming several profanities that would have made a lady blush. Unfortunately, Mikoto Shirato was no lady, and if it wasn't just the imagination of the members of the basket team- who safely watched the scene unfold from their seats in intrigue- she may have contributed to some of the loud explicatives that were being yelled as well.

"She attacks like a wild dog." Okamura cringed as Shirato continued to yank at his vice captain's roots, and... did she just bite him?!

"Women are scary." Murasakibara agreed. However, as he said this he whipped out his cellphone, holding it up and pointing the camera at the struggling duo.

"What are you doing, Murasakibara?" Liu asked, peering over and watching in intrigue as Murasakibara began snapping photos with his camera app.

"Sending a picture to Muro-chin." He replied easily.

"What for?"

"I think he'd like to see it." Atsushi shrugged, and the others couldn't help but murmur in agreement as they continued watching the brawl between the point guard and the manager.

Eventually- though with a ruffled outfit and extremely messy hair- Mikoto emerged victorious while Fukui was left trying to check his shoulder to see if her bite had broken his skin and patting his head to make sure there were no bald spots.

"Now," Shirato asked sweetly, her tone dripping with venom and her expression stone cold. Everyone sweatdropped and cringed away from the second year- they had a feeling her fearsome mood was more likely due to her vexation at her dishevelled state rather than her struggle with Kensuke. "Would anyone else like to try?"

Needless to say, no one played 'Make The Manager Explode' ever again.

* * *

Himuro sighed as he lay back on the bed in his hotel, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Talk about depressing- his grandfather had finally been buried today, and Tatsuya didn't even have the energy to change out of his mourning clothes before he'd simply flopped onto his bed. He felt exhausted- both physically and emotionally- and he just wanted to lie down and do nothing for a while. The last couple of days had been utterly depressing- he'd had to deal with people coming to give their condolences and crying over the passing of his grandfather, and he'd just smiled politely and thanked them for coming to the wake.

He never thought he'd say it, but he wished he was back in Japan, playing basketball with his teammates and annoying the hell out of their manager.

Just then, his phone beeped, alerting him to a new message. Curious as to who could possibly be texting him now, he was surprised to see that it was a message from Atsushi, sent via email- thank goodness for the wifi in this hotel, or he would never have received it. According to the thumbnail, he had sent a picture, too. Perplexed as to why the boy would have texted him now, of all times, Tatsuya patiently waited for the image to download, taking a drink from his water bottle as he waited...

And nearly choked to death when the image finally loaded.

* * *

As the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal came into sight, Mikoto suddenly found it very difficult to breathe, and it wasn't because of the crowd milling around the area. So close- she was so close to meeting him again...

_Inhale, exhale._

"This is your stop, Shirato." Araki informed her cordially. The rest of the team were being dropped off at the hotel where they would be staying throughout their stay, but the coach had made arrangements for the bus to stop here first. "Is your family there yet?"

"Yeah." Mikoto affirmed as she spotted a figure she would have recognized anywhere amongst the crowd, trying hard not to let her worry show. It seemed to work- Araki didn't think anything was off, and instead continued formally.

"Remember- tomorrow afternoon, one o'clock, at the stadium." She reminded her of the time for the team's first match, and Mikoto nodded obediently.

"I'll be there." She said firmly- no matter what her personal troubles were, her team had to come first. She had to separate emotion from duty, regardless of how things with her cousin might turn out. As the bus slowed to a stop near an empty bay, Mikoto descended the steps and focused on the crunch of her sneakers against the pavement instead of the loud beating of her heart, wishing that the bus driver wouldn't open the bus' storage compartment so quickly if it would only slow down the inevitable.

"Good luck, Shira-chin." Mikoto jumped slightly as she grabbed her travelling bagpack, looking up at the window of the bus to see that Murasakibara had opened the window slightly to wish her luck. The gesture may have seemed minute and insignificant, but it was enough for Mikoto. It reminded her of just how much her relationship with Atsushi had shifted from one of antagonism to something that could even be considered friendship, and if she could do that much... then who was to say that it couldn't be the same with Daiki?

"Thank you, Murasakibara-kun." Mikoto gave a small smile, and she meant every single word.

As the bus drove out of sight, Shirato slowly took another deep breath as she hefted her bag onto her shoulders, her hand instinctively going to the band around her wrist. Feeling the smooth leather beneath her fingertips seemed to ease her spirits slightly, and she spun around to walk amongst the crowd of people meandering around. Unlike some of the other people who had just arrived, Mikoto knew where she was headed- it was impossible to miss him. That head of navy blue hair, that tan skin and broad build...

Her steps came to a halt as she stared up expressionlessly into ocean-blue eyes- her eyes.

_Inhale, exhale._

"Your bus was late." He said simply. As usual, he didn't bother with trivialities and formal greetings as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, his expression tinged with vague annoyance. "I missed my show."

"It's nice to see you too." Mikoto replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm that had come out harsher than she had intended. It was so different- hearing his voice in person instead of through the phone after almost a year. A slight, somewhat wry smirk tugged at her lips, a faint shadow of the cheerful, teasing one she used to wear- much like the bright smile that had long since disappeared from the face of the boy standing before her now.

"It's been a long time... Daiki."

* * *

**AN (2): Angst is love. Angst is life.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

"Miko-chan!"

Mikoto only had time to wince at the sound of the voice and brace her feet firmly on the ground before she was tackle-hugged by a pink-haired figure, who was grinning so brightly she thought she would be blinded just by looking at it. For someone who wasn't related to her by blood, the way Satsuki Momoi had just embraced Shirato when she got off the train would have probably have convinced any bystander that she was a long-lost family member who had just returned home. The younger girl was either oblivious or immune to the stares of the other people who were getting off the train- the exact opposite of the brunette she was currently squeezing in her arms, whose face was reddening from not only embarrassment but also from being suffocated.

"I-it's good to see you again too, Satsuki-chan." The brunette choked out, awkwardly patting the girl's shoulder- it was the only thing she could manage, given that Momoi had all but pinned her arms to her sides with her tight hug. Thankfully, the pinkette released her and spared her respiratory tract from any further inhibitions, while Aomine just lingered behind and watched the whole scene disinterestedly.

"I've been waiting forever to see you again!" Satsuki chirped as she grasped Mikoto's hands in hers, her magenta eyes shining with eagerness. Though Momoi's bond with Daiki was much closer than the friendship Mikoto shared with her, the younger girl was always amiable and friendly towards her- probably stemming from her own closeness to Aomine. "You _have_ to tell me all about your experience as a team manager."

"I'm not their official manager." Shirato corrected- she was getting a bit tired of repeating it over and over- before her expression became a little more suspicious. "And if you're hoping that I'll give you info on the team, think again."

"That's mean- how could you think I'd be so manipulative?"

"You weren't hoping for some info on the newer players?"

"I didn't say that either..." Satsuki pouted and avoided eye contact, prompting a sigh from Mikoto.

"They all need far too much time and effort to look after." Shirato muttered exasperatedly. "I really think I should be paid for this."

"Don't all of us managers think the same thing?"

"Not 'all of us managers' have an Atsushi Murasakibara to look out for."

"And not all of us have a Tatsuya Himuro we want to strangle either, hm?" Satsuki pointed out coyly as she winked at the brunette. Shirato scowled at the suggestion- sure, she missed the jerk, but that didn't mean she was open to what she knew Momoi was suggesting.

"I was having such a good reunion until you brought him up." She grumbled, though her eyes darted away briefly out of instinct whenever she told a lie.

"What does that mean?" Satsuki frowned, before she noticed Mikoto's slip and another catlike grin spread across her face. "It's okay to admit you like him, Miko-chan~"

"Not in a million years." Mikoto deadpanned.

"You say that now, but just you wait." Satsuki insisted. "Soon, you'll be head over heels for him."

"Just like you are with Tetsuya-kun?" Mikoto quirked an eyebrow, sensing an opportunity to change the subject and latching onto it immediately.

"Exactly!" Momoi agreed instantly, however she then sighed longingly as a thought occured to her, prompting her to lay her cheek in her hand as she lamented, "It's been so long since I last saw my Tetsu-kun..."

"Still hopelessly enamoured?" Mikoto murmured as Satsuki got lost in her daydreaming, directing the question at the dark-skinned boy who had been silent all this while.

"Not even close to describing it." Aomine replied blandly, as if this was an everyday occurence. But then again, knowing Momoi, it might have been.

"Let's get going, already." Daiki continued, walking forth and tugging on a lock of Satsuki's hair lightly to get her attention again. "Oi, Satsuki. Quit daydreaming- we have to get Miko home before mom freaks out."

"Ah! Right!" Momoi snapped out of it instantly, smacking her face with her hands and shaking her head to clear her mind again. Mikoto gave a small smile when Satsuki absently closed her fingers around the strap of Aomine's bag as they walked on- it had been so long since she'd seen these two, and it was a relief to see that things hadn't really changed between them. Granted, Daiki seemed to be more distant than last time, and though he was definitely coarse around the edges, he still seemed to treat Momoi decently, at least. In his own boyish way.

"So..." Momoi's voice snapped Mikoto out of her thoughts as she commented in a casual manner. "About the training patterns you guys use-"

"No." Mikoto interjected immediately, not even waiting for her to finish whatever question she was going to ask. As far as she knew, only the schools within the Akita district had any idea about the skills of her school's newest additions, and she wasn't going to allow any other opponents to receive that advantage if she could help it. Momoi pouted at the way she was cut off so easily, but wasn't quite deterred as she tried again.

"Player for player-"

"Uninterested."

"Other schools-"

"Already got those."

"Miko-channnnn..." Satsuki dragged out her name, putting on her best puppy-dog face in an attempt to gain pity.

It didn't work.

"Satsuki-channnnn..." Mikoto deliberately imitated her friend's words and expression, earning a deadpan look from Satsuki in response.

"It's just scary when you do it." The younger girl shuddered, clearly not amused.

"You wound me." Mikoto replied, putting on a tone of mock-hurt as she placed a hand over her chest dramatically. She wouldn't admit it, but some of Himuro's antics were rubbing off on her- it was just too fun to annoy other people sometimes.

"When did you become such a spoilsport?" Momoi complained, and Mikoto could only give a small smirk in response.

"Thank you."

"You're just as mean as Aomine-kun." Satsuki lamented, looking away from Shirato in a huff. Unbeknownst to her, the older girl's smirk fell off her face when she said that, a frown taking its place as her light mood vanished almost immediately.

"That so?" Mikoto murmured under her breath, quiet enough so that neither Satsuki nor Daiki could catch what she had said. She could only stare at the head of the tall, dark-skinned boy who walked in front of her, his long strides relaxed yet bearing a confidence that she could never match. He had barely said anything to her since they'd reunited, and she couldn't blame him for it. They hadn't left on a particularly good note the last time, and no matter how many phone calls they'd had since then- not that there all that many in the first place- meeting each other face-to-face still felt completely foreign. Neither one had apologized or made any move to admit their mistake, and Mikoto refused to be the first to do so. She had nothing to apologize for. It was his fault, after all.

...Wasn't it?

Barely repressing a sigh, Mikoto's gaze trailed back to her bracelet once more, her fingertips seeking out the familiar feeling of weathered leather to help comfort her. With one touch she remembered once more the celebration during which she had received this particular accessory, and the happiness of those days that had long since passed.

She knew those days were gone. But watching Momoi now, she was reminded once again that this delicate girl was doing everything she could to help save her best friend- to the point where she'd given up the choice to go with the boy she claimed to be the 'love of her life'. That was how much he meant to her, and how much she was willing to sacrifice her own joy to support him. It gave Mikoto the push she needed to finish what she came here to do- and that was to begin mending the relationship that had fallen apart.

Even if Aomine himself had given up, she wasn't going to do the same.

* * *

The first match that Yosen fought was relatively uneventful. Without Himuro playing this time, their perfect streak was finally broken- the match had ended with them being twenty eight points ahead of their opponents with a score of 133 - 105, a first for the team since the beginning of the year. But even so, they were off to a pretty good start.

Outside of matches, there wasn't really much else to do. Both Kuroko and Midorima were apparently out of town for summer camp with their respective teams, and everyone else seemed to be involved in the Interhigh. She couldn't bother the Yosen boys either, since they had to save their energy for the matches that were to come.

So that left only one option.

"What's on TV?" Shirato asked as she strode into the living room, more out of boredom than anything else. It was raining pretty heavily outside that evening, and her aunt and uncle were probably going to be stuck in town for a while, enduring the rat race. That left only her and Daiki in the house, the latter of whom was currently sprawled on the main couch and flipping through the channels disinterestedly.

"Nothing worth watching." Daiki replied shortly, though he never took his eyes off the screen. Mikoto nodded absently as she took the initiative to sit on the recliner instead of the couch her cousin currently inhabited, leaning her head against the headrest as she sighed.

"I see." Shirato mumbled. There was an awkward silence after that brief exchange- she had no idea what to say after that. Conversation with her cousin had become a lot more rigid than it used to be...

"So," Much to her surprise, Aomine was the one who spoke up and broke the silence first, though he sounded as bored as she felt and didn't look away from the television. However, her initial surprise quickly gave way to embarrassment when he continued, "You got your eye on this 'Himuro' guy now, huh?"

"So you _were _listening." Shirato sighed, a faint scowl adorning her face at the prospect of Momoi's assumptions being passed on to Aomine as well. "I do not 'have my eye' on him. He's a friend."

"If that's what you say." Daiki didn't sound at all convinced- if anything, he sounded condescending. Against her will, Mikoto flushed in embarrassment, through she recovered quickly and immediately attempted to turn the tables against him.

"And what about you? Still can't find a girl who can put up with your thick head?" She emphasized the last few words by tapping her finger against her skull, feeling a vague smugness when she saw the way he mirrored her scowl earlier.

"Girls are troublesome. I don't need any distractions."

"I'll bet that charming attitude brings girls flocking to you."

"As if you have guys coming in hordes trying to get in your-"

But before Daiki could finish his- probably crude- remark, the two teens nearly jumped when Mikoto's cellphone suddenly started ringing in the middle of their snarky exchange. Her attention drawn to the device immediately, it took a moment for Shirato to remove it from her pocket, and another to identify the name of the caller ID on the glowing screen.

When she did, her eyes widened in surprise, before they narrowed again in vague disdain. Oh boy, it was _him._

"Couldn't you have stayed away a little longer?" She asked blandly as she answered the call, not caring for formalities. In response, she heard a familiar, calming chuckle from the other end of the line and the corners of her lips lifted slightly- it'd been a while since she heard that voice.

"I missed you too, Shirato-chan." Himuro replied smoothly, causing Mikoto's expression to fall into a frown once again.

"Don't put words into my mouth." She retorted instantly, but the boy just gave another short laugh in response- it looked like he was still as infuriating as ever.

"Anyway, I called to let you know that I just touched down." He continued casually, "I'll probably be there tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Mikoto started as she stood up and walked towards the window, her brow furrowed in skepticism. "You've been gone for a couple of days- aren't you experiencing jet lag? Are you sure you want to be here tomorrow?"

"Your concern is touching, but I'll be alright." Tatsuya responded, before adding on to that in a teasing manner. "The sooner I see your beautiful face, the sooner my lovesick heart shall mend."

Mikoto rolled her eyes. He was such a boy.

"What was that? Did you say you wanted me to double your drills?" She asked innocently, knowing full well that he was aware she would come through on her promise. She felt a swell of pride as she heard him clear his throat nervously, evidently hesitating before he uttered his next sentence.

"In any case, I have to go now." He informed, his voice steady and calm despite her earlier threat. "I'll see you soon, alright? I won't deprive you of my presence much longer."

"Goodbye, Himuro-kun." Shirato shook her head, before she paused, adding in a softer tone, "And... welcome back."

Another pause, this time on Himuro's part, and Shirato panicked slightly as she wondered if she'd said something wrong. When he finally answered, however, his voice was equally soft, giving her the impression that he was smiling as he spoke.

"Tadaima." He replied quietly, and the gentleness in his voice made her want to blush. She couldn't remember him ever sounding quite so... content. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah. See you." Mikoto returned, before she hung up. Out of habit, she held the phone against her chest as she stared out the window, watching as the rain splashed against the window and the street. The girl then realized with a small start that at some point, her lips had curved into a small smile that she hadn't noticed, and she quickly wiped it off her face. It was strange- she hadn't expected Himuro's return to make her feel quite this relieved. A sense of calmness seemed to have blossomed within her- one that she knew, whether she liked it or not, stemmed from the knowledge that Himuro was back.

When Shirato glanced back at the couch, her good mood faded immediately. Daiki had taken his eyes off the TV and was watching her, an arrogant smirk on his lips as he raised an eyebrow knowingly.

Her eye twitched.

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

Shirato fidgeted with the straps on her wristband as she slowly made her way through the halls of the stadium, her lips thinned slightly as she followed the signs that directed her to the spectator stands. As far as the rest of her team was concerned, she was meeting up with them later that afternoon for the next match, but she had arrived at the stadium much earlier than she was expected to.

Not without reason, of course. After all, the match before theirs was the one between Kaijo and Touou- the very first showdown between two members of the Generation of Miracles that she would witness.

Her only lament was that plenty of other people seemed to get the same idea that she had, and now the stadium was practically overflowing with people. Mikoto's heart sank in her chest as she gazed out at the crowd of people, unable to find even a single empty space in the seats. Heaving a sigh, the girl simply moved towards the middle row, deciding to stand at the back so that she could get a proper view of the court. Much to her surprise however, she saw what looked to be a vaguely familiar figure standing amongst the small number of people who had gotten the same idea as she had- a tall, slim male who was wearing a hat upon a head of emerald green hair.

It couldn't be...

"Midorima-kun?" Mikoto couldn't stop herself from blurting out, and upon seeing the way the young man seemed to tense upon her call, she knew she had guessed correctly. "It really is you!"

"How did you recognize me?" The boy spun towards her, and she caught glimpse of a pair of shades in the place of his usual glasses. Shirato had to suppress a small smile- was he trying to disguise himself?

"Just a hunch." The girl shrugged in response, deciding to avoid the topic of his poor concealment skills. In a way, she was glad that she had encountered him- out of all the Miracles, she counted herself lucky that it was Midorima before her now and not, for example, Akashi. "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be at camp?" She inquired, having received the information from Momoi earlier.

"It concluded this morning." He replied, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose- this time, Mikoto's lips quirked slightly when she observed the bandages wrapping his fingers. This guy was still as meticulous as ever. "I decided to take the initiative to observe this match, given those who are involved." Here, he turned to face her completely before continuing, "I assume you are here to do the same."

"You guessed correctly." Mikoto agreed, glancing around for a moment. "Any of your other teammates around?"

"No. I came here alone." Midorima then paused as something seemed to catch his attention, before he pointed out, "I see you are wearing a cardigan in grey as well."

"My, what a scandal." Mikoto tutted none too seriously. She knew why Shintaro would notice something like that- he was wearing one as well. After all, today's Oha Asa had mentioned that the lucky item for Cancers that day was a cardigan, and with the lucky colour being grey it was a double strike. "Well, one of us is going to have to change. I'm afraid it will have to be me though- you pull of the look much better than I do."

"Your wit has not dulled, it would seem." Midorima evicted no emotion as he responded, but his voice dripped with disdain. "How unfortunate."

"My apologies." Mikoto grunted unsophisticatedly, not taking any offense at the jab. If anything, she was glad for the easy banter. Deciding to change the topic, she then added, "The prediction today did say that I would encounter an old friend, though. I must say I might be starting to believe this stuff."

If Midorima took any offense of her labelling Oha Asa as 'stuff', he didn't show it- though she could have sworn that his fingers seemed to twitch slightly. The conversation seemed to end there for a while, with neither one saying anything until the speakers came to life and announced the arrival of both the teams on the court. To call the cheers that followed 'loud' was an understatement- the whole stadium seemed to join in the uproarious cry of excitement. Mikoto winced slightly as the loud noise infiltrated her ears, but she noted that Shintaro seemed otherwise unaffected by it- he was probably more used to this than she was. She also noticed that his lips were moving, as if he were saying something, but she couldn't catch what it was.

"What was that?" She hollered, trying to be heard over the cheers.

"Gemini ranked second in Oha Asa today." Midorima repeated, leaning slightly towards her so that he didn't need to yell over the noise. "Virgo placed first."

At that unfortunate piece of news, Mikoto gave a sigh. "So the odds already aren't in Kaijo's favour." She muttered bitterly. "Brilliant."

"Did you really consider any other outcome?" Midorima raised an eyebrow, straightening up once again as the cheering died down.

"I was hoping." Mikoto admitted, her eyes immediately latching onto the blue-haired and blonde figures on the court. Kise seemed to be exchanging a few words with Aomine who just smirked back in response. At least he showed up on time for this match, Mikoto thought grudgingly. Kuroko's team hadn't been given that same respect. "But I suppose that's not always enough."

"Man proposes, God disposes." Shintaro repeated his catchphrase, his voice solemn as he followed her gaze. "If fate will have it, there is still the possibility that Kaijo will emerge victorious."

It was unlikely. All the odds were in Touou's favour- with Aomine in their team, a group of national-level players and a manager like Momoi with prediction skills that were almost always accurate, Touou was a formidable opponent. But Kaijo's players weren't exactly sitting ducks either- Kise still had the ability to mimic what others did, and from what Mikoto knew of his other teammates they were all highly experienced. It was really a matter of which team's ace would excel more than the other, and if Shirato was honest... she really, really wanted Kise to win.

But there was nothing she could do. It was all up to them.

"In that case, we have to keep proposing."

* * *

The next half hour was simultaneously one of the most intense and yet most heart-wrenching moments that Mikoto had ever experienced. The match had started out with a surprising beginning when Kaijo had caught up to and even surpassed Touou at one point, but after that it was just a huge roller coaster. Touou would lead for a while, then suddenly Kaijo would surprise them with some amazing comeback before they fell behind again, repeating the cycle- Shirato had to admit, she even got chills when Kise managed to copy Aomine's familiar play style at one point. She hadn't thought it was possible- Daiki's technique was his own, and was so unorthodox that it always kept one guessing- but there it was, happening right before her eyes.

When Aomine received his fourth foul due to a hidden card played by the Kaijo team, Mikoto had thought that it was the end of Touou's reign- that Aomine would be put out of the game and that Kise would lead his team to victory.

Mistake.

All that served to do was make Aomine mad, and that was when his ruthless side emerged. He just charged on ahead, using his incredible speed and unpredictable movements to completely demolish his opponents. Basket after basket was scored, and there was close to nothing that the Kaijo team could do about it.

Mikoto's throat felt dry. Her hands clenched at her sides so tightly that her nails dug into her skin, but she barely noticed. All she could do was stare at Aomine- the boy she cared for so dearly, whose first steps she had witnessed, who had come crying to her once when he had gotten stung by a bee as a child, who had depended on her like a younger brother would a big sister.

This person playing on the court now; so ruthless and unforgiving... was not her Daiki.

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't look away- and that was the worst part. She couldn't bring herself to avert her eyes from the fierce battle taking place on the court- she watched as Kise was knocked back over and over, along with the rest of his team, and yet they always got back up to retaliate. They had to know that the outcome was almost unavoidable, but they still dared to go against the odds- clinging to that small sliver of hope that would ensure their victory.

And that was what made the inevitable a thousand times worse.

When a hand landed on Mikoto's shoulder, the girl flinched and nearly scampered back- so transfixed was she on the match that she had almost forgotten where she was. However, the grasp on her shoulder remained firm, and it took her a moment to realize exactly who it was she was looking at...

"H-Himuro-kun." She stammered, not quite able to believe her eyes. Coupled with the stress weighing on her mind because of the ongoing match, along with the sudden reappearance of her friend, Mikoto could barely wrap her head around it all. Himuro's expression was solemn as he observed her tense state, his grey eyes darting back towards the court for a moment before he met her eye again with a firm expression.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." He suggested soothingly, his voice surprisingly calm despite his stony expression.

"But..." Mikoto hesitated as her gaze went back to the match at hand, her voice wavering ever so slightly. Himuro looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, another voice interjected.

"It's done, Shirato-senpai. There's no more point in staying." Midorima's deep, calm voice alerted Mikoto to his presence once more- she was chagrined as she realized that she had almost forgotten he was there, too. The boy's expression was a mask of indifference, but not quite- there was something else reflected in his verdant irises; something that looked almost like... exhaustion. Shintaro's eyes met Himuro's for a moment, and a silent understanding seemed to pass between the two of them before he continued, "You should listen to your friend. You know how this will turn out."

"Then why are you still sticking around?" Mikoto asked. Her tone wasn't so much inquisitive as it was desperate- why was she allowed to leave, while Shintaro watched on? When Kise had to stay, only to face the defeat that was sure to come? When Momoi was here, watching as her dearest companion fell further into the pit that his skills had dug? Why should she be given this reprieve?

Midorima barely hesitated as he gave his answer, not making eye contact as he turned his head back to the court.

"This is what we created. It is only right that I see it through to the end." He muttered, almost to himself. Mikoto paused at that, her brow furrowing in distress. 'We', the Generation of Miracles. The ones who were blessed with talent that should not have been awakened- not when they were all so young and so easily misled. The ones who had been forced into a fate that they didn't deserve, all because of the expectations and selfishness of a third party that only desired glory. The ones who had no control over what they had become, because they were cursed with such extraordinary gifts.

It wasn't their fault. It never was.

"Let's go." Himuro repeated once more, this time tugging gently on her hand as he urged her to follow him. Her feet felt like lead as she trailed behind him almost unwillingly, her mind willing her to stop and look back at the court but her heart knowing that she wouldn't be able to take it if she did.

Mikoto normally hated unnecessary physical contact. In any other situation, she would have pried her hand free from Himuro's grasp and insisted that she could walk without being shepherded around. His hold on her should have disturbed her.

But in this situation, all she felt was relief.

* * *

"...How are you feeling?"

Those were the first words that Himuro finally uttered, ten minutes after the two of them had gotten out of the stands. They both sat on one of the benches lining the hallways of the stadium, and he seemed to understand that Mikoto needed some space, given that he'd waited this long before speaking.

"Like I want to punch Daiki in the face." Mikoto confessed, her tone lacking any humour despite her words.

"Nothing new there, huh?" Himuro attempted to joke lightheartedly, but that quickly fell short as he noticed that Shirato wasn't reacting. Instead, she just sighed again and squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger, as if fending off a headache.

"I don't know what I was expecting." She murmured, sounding more as if she were talking to herself instead of the person next to her. "It was stupid of me to think there was any other way for this to turn out."

"I'm sorry. I really am."

Tatsuya's quiet apology made Mikoto glance up, confusion etched into her features. His expression was serious however, and he seemed to be sincere about it- that only puzzled Shirato further.

"Why would you be? It's not your fault."

"Even so, I think you should at least hear those words from someone."

His reply stunned Shirato speechless. She opened her mouth for a moment as she tried to formulate a reply, but she quickly closed it as she realized she that dhe had no idea what to say. To further increase her dismay, a familiar prickling sensation reached her eyes- no, not here. She thought she had long since run out of tears over Daiki... but apparently, it wasn't so.

"...Excuse me." Mikoto whispered, turning her head away and pressing her hand to her lips as the onslaught of emotions brought on from watching the match finally caught up to her. She didn't want to appear weak in front of Himuro- or anyone, really- but this time, it was too much.

Just remembering the look on Kise's face as he got up after being knocked down, declaring his freedom from his admiration of the boy he had once looked up to... it would have hurt less if he'd just given in. She really believed for a moment that he would have been able to do what Tetsuya and everyone else hadn't been able to- defeat Daiki. Even though all his effort and sacrifice hadn't been enough, he still fought with all he had, refusing to let Aomine crush him completely. And his teammates... all of them knew it was impossible to beat Touou, but still they continued to push forth. They stood by Kise's side, refusing to back down because he lead the way- because as long as one of their teammates didn't give up, all of them would stand strong.

That was what basketball was about- that spark she remembered so clearly. It had been rekindled once more within Kise burning bright and strong, and yet, Aomine still...

Was there any hope at all of defeating him? Of reclaiming what he had lost?

For a moment, Mikoto thought she would be able to find it in her to hold back the crushing emotions that threatened to overflow. But then, the most unexpected thing happened- she felt herself being pulled against something, and she immediately lifted her face from hand out of pure shock. For a moment, she didn't know what was going on- her sight was obscured by what seemed like dark fabric; fabric that she eventually recognized as belonging to the jacket Himuro was wearing. Calloused fingers were placed against her head as well, stroking her hair gently as Tatsuya silently held her close.

And that did it. Mikoto finally allowed herself a moment of vulnerability as she buried her face into Himuro's jacket, seeking comfort within his warm embrace. Though her shoulders trembled slightly, not a single sob escaped her lips.

She was done with crying. It achieved nothing.

Himuro just remained still as he sat in his seat, allowing the brunette to lean into him for the comfort she so desperately needed. He normally wasn't one to grant his comfort and affection upon others in such an intimate manner, but just this once, he figured he could make an exception. Mikoto was not the kind of person to so openly evict signs of weakness, so to see her suddenly so distraught... he didn't know what else he could say or do to comfort her. Even he didn't know what to think of the match he had just witnessed.

The memory of the way the Touou's power forward had just demolished his opponents made him pull Shirato just a little closer to him- the action was unconscious, but protective. He could hardly relate this shaking girl to the blue-haired monster he had seen on the court. Though they were bound by blood, they were hardly similar. He could now see why the relationship between the two of them was so strained- their conflicting natures would simply not allow things to settle naturally between them, and now he was all the more determined to help her mend the bridge that had been shattered by pride.

But that could wait until later. For now, he would just let her hold onto him for as long as she needed to.

* * *

The next couple of hours passed like a blur to Mikoto. After she'd successfully pulled it together in time for Yosen's match, Himuro had tagged along as well and was welcomed back by the others with open arms and complaints over him not bringing back any souvenirs for them. Despite what had just transpired, Himuro managed to retain a surprisingly casual demeanour around the others- the only hint he gave about his concern for Shirato being the occasional glances he threw her way that could easily be brushed off as coincidence. The only other person who seemed to have noticed that anything was off was Coach Araki, who seemed to give her a particularly long stare before she'd gone around issuing the usual commands. The woman was perceptive- Mikoto would give her that much- and seemed to know that whatever it was that was bothering her, she didn't want to talk about it. For that, Shirato was grateful.

The match, much like the previous one, was handled without any major problems or obstacles. Though Chihaya High's power forward had proved to be quite the fearsome opponent when coupled with their point guard, in the end the superior defense of Yosen's team had proved its mettle when they'd emerged with a score of 125 - 83. Though it was quite an enthralling match, Mikoto couldn't help but be plagued by one thought when the last buzzer went off, announcing the end of the game.

At this rate, they would have to face Touou.

The thought haunted Mikoto all throughout the journey back to her aunt and uncle's home, and her paranoia was only made worse when she was seated across from Daiki at the dinner table. Although she faced both her Aunt Shiori and Uncle Hitoshi with her usual mannerisms and polite demeanour, it was unusually difficcult for her to look her cousin in the eye all throughout dinner. Aside from the usual passing of dishes across the table and the murmured 'thank you's, she didn't speak a word to Daiki at all.

Her aunt and uncle probably brushed it off as exhaustion from the game, but Shirato knew better- and she was aware that Daiki knew it too. That much was proven when she'd bid her elders good night after dinner and headed to her room, only to hear quiet murmurings from the living room and the sound of footsteps walking up the stairs echoing behind her own.

The brunette didn't glance back until she reached the door to the guest room where she resided, her eyes sliding over to the landing where Aomine stood with a slouch, looking almost bored as he met her gaze.

"Still not going to yell at me?" He asked, sounding almost sarcastic as he directed the question at her. On any other occasion, his tone would have made her bristle and snap at him, usually resulting in an argument between the two until one of them relented simply because they were sick of the noise.

This time, Shirato just couldn't bring herself to care.

"What's the point?" She asked quietly. "It wouldn't do any good, anyway. What's done is done."

He didn't respond after that- not leaving any contradiction or agreement to her statement as he simply turned away, continuing in the opposite direction without a word. The only sign of hesitation that he showed was when he paused at the door to his room, as if he wanted to say something for a moment. However, if he did he seemed to think better of it as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him with a 'click'. He never was one for long, emotional rants- in that aspect, they were very much alike.

But that resemblance, among many others, were beginning to fade with time- as were his relationships with those who cared about him. Mikoto's greatest fear on his behalf was that one day, he was going to turn around as he was surrounded in all his light... and his shadow would no longer be there.

And neither would she.

When she entered her room, Mikoto went straight for the bed and nearly threw herself onto it without even bothering to untie her braid- she just wanted some form of solace. The girl let her head fall back onto the pillow with a 'thump', shutting her eyes as she steadied her breathing in an attempt to calm her turbulent emotions, unwilling to evict any further sign of weakness. The cool front she had been wearing the past few hours was exhausting her...

The sound of her ringtone startled Mikoto enough to make her flinch, breaking her train of thought. Fumbling as she reached to grab her cellphone, she quickly checked the name of the caller, squinting at the screen as she tried to see through the tears that were brimming despite her attempt to hold them back.

'Tatsuya Himuro'

Again?

"Y-yeah?" Mikoto cursed herself inwardly for stuttering as she picked up the call, quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Shirato-chan." Himuro's voice replied, his usual calm timbre tinged with worry. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Mikoto assured half-heartedly. "Is there something I can help you with, Himuro-kun?" She added quickly, trying to divert his attention before he could try to ask what was wrong. Thankfully, he seemed to get the message.

"Well, you remember our bet, don't you?"

"Yeah. What of it?"

"Well, I was thinking we should put it into effect while we're still in Tokyo. I think I'd like to have a little tour around town- just you and me, maybe on one of the days off."

"W-what?" Shirato squeaked out, her surprise evident in her expression. He was bringing this up now, of all times? "But the Interhigh is..."

"You all have a day off on Thursday, right?" He commented, referring to the one day of the week when their team wasn't required to play. "If you're not too tired then, I was hoping you could show me around. You probably know this city better than anyone, seeing as you grew up here, after all." Tatsuya then paused for a while, allowing her to process and contemplate his suggestion before he added, "So... do I hear a 'yes'?"

"I..." Mikoto hesitated, unsure of what to say. Given her current emotional state, she wasn't exactly in the mood to plan any outings with friends. If anything, she wanted to lie in bed all day and just do nothing. Normally, if someone were to bother her when she was having one of her down days, she probably would have turned them down without a second thought.

But this wasn't just 'someone'. This was Himuro, the boy who had convinced her to come along for this trip, who was willing to extend his help despite the fact that she had never asked for any. He was so much like one the Miracles- he carried that same air, that same power, but still different somehow. And yet... he seemed to have his own light- one that was steady and reassuring, that she was willing to reach out to without fear of being hurt.

It looked like she wasn't as immune to his charm as she had initially thought.

"I'll be more than glad to show you around, Himuro-kun." Shirato replied steadily, her eyes closing in brief repose. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Yeah, you're right." Mikoto responded breezily as she played along. "Thank me, then."

"Fine- thank you very much for your humble compliance, my lady." Despite the heavy sarcasm in his tone, Mikoto also detected amusement mixed with it as well, and it coaxed a small smile from her as she shook her head.

"At ease, knave. Sarcasm does not befit you."

"Oh? I think it only adds to my charm."

"You keep thinking that." Mikoto said blandly, earning yet another soft laugh from Himuro.

"In any case- I won't keep you any longer. We'll arrange everything when we next meet, alright?"

"Got it."

"Oh, and Shirato-chan..."

"What is it?" Mikoto asked curiously, having expected that to be the end of it. What else did he have to say?

"...Don't cry, alright?" His words caused Mikoto to stiffen in shock- so, he had noticed after all. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle, however- the same as the last time he'd helped to treat her head injury. "He's not worth any of your tears."

Mikoto had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying right there and then. She didn't know how he could tell that she had been close to tears when he couldn't even see her, but that didn't matter. All that did was that he knew she was upset, and that he was trying to offer her comfort.

That was something she hadn't received in a long time. Not from anyone.

"I'm not crying. I'm just sniffling." She protested weakly, trying to maintain some form of dignity. Her response seemed to amuse Himuro, as he seemed to laugh quietly before he replied jokingly.

"He's not worth any of your sniffles, either."

"...Thank you, Himuro-kun." Shirato murmured once again as she cradled the phone against her ear, wishing that she could find a better way to express just how grateful she was to him. He had no idea just how much his words meant to her, but this would have to make do. "Good night."

"Good night, my lady." Himuro replied lightly, before his voice softened once more. "Sleep well."

And that was the end of it. As Mikoto hung up, she just stared at her phone for a long moment, the contact name still visible on the screen. Tatsuya Himuro...

Unexpectedly, Mikoto found her lips curving into a smile, and her hold on her phone tightened slightly before she placed in on the bedside countertop. As she rolled onto her side on the bed and prepared for sleep, Mikoto realized that the smile still hadn't left her face... not that she minded. She had to admit- she felt a lot better now after that conversation.

Tatsuya Himuro was a pretty decent guy. Still annoying, but decent.

Maybe there really was more to him than met the eye.

* * *

**AN: If there are a large number of errors this time (well, more so than usual) I do apologize. spellcheck option has mysteriously disappeared from the ffnet doc manager, and there are only so many mistakes my beta can catch. If I haven't mentioned before, do ****feel free to correct any grammatical errors I make- it would be duly appreciated!**

**As usual, thank you to everyone who has added this story to your alerts and/or favourites as well as those who reviewed - take all of my love! We've reached a 100 reviews for this story, a feat I honestly didn't expect given that I'm still new to this. Thanks so much for putting up with the long waits between chapters and for your patience with me- you guys are best qwq. **

**Shoutout to**** LincoeAlisson3298, VixenOfMeiraz, Red Appasionata, The Inner Mind Of A Basilisk, Guest (**glad you liked the chapter!**), lostinthefridge, RomanticKissez, Bliss Autumn, Skywaters (**forgot to mention- thanks for being the 100th reviewer, haha!**), Indirianna, xenocanaan and SnowstormX for commenting on the last chapter! Cheers to you guys, and I hope you all have a Happy New Year ;D**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

**AN(1): Yeahh, fastest update yet, I know. So just in case you haven't read it yet, please note that I updated this fic a week ago too, so make sure you read that first to know what's going on before continuing! Thanks!  
**

Breakfast was an interesting affair between the two cousins that Tuesday morning. They had both woken up later than Daiki's parents- the boy having done so much later than Mikoto- who had once again left for work that morning. Aunt Shiori had made the effort to make some more food for both Mikoto and Daiki for breakfast- the girl couldn't stand the fact that her aunt refused to tell her just what she added to her pancake mix to make them taste so darn good. By the time Daiki had wandered into the dining room, however, Mikoto was already washing up her plate in the sink, having woken up earlier than him. Glancing at Aomine out of the corner of her eye, she only just managed to catch a glimpse of him wincing slightly as he stood in the doorway, before he righted himself immediately when he remembered he had company.

If he knew that she had seen him, he made no sign of it as he plopped himself into his seat at the table, reaching over to just grab the plate on which the remaining pancakes sat. His mom had definitely accounted for his large appetite- she'd set aside that plate specially for Daiki, according to the note that had been on the table when Mikoto had first entered the room. Though Aomine exuded all the signs that clearly stated he didn't want to talk to her right now- that much was obvious from the way he stuffed two pancakes into his mouth at once, without bothering to use the fork provided- Mikoto wasn't going to listen for once as she approached the table, sitting across from him as she waited for him to swallow first. Aomine seemed to sense her obstinacy as well, seeing as he seemed to roll his eyes as he munched on his food.

"How's your leg holding up?" Mikoto asked directly, deciding not to beat around the bush. Direct confrontation was the only way to deal with someone like Daiki, anyway.

"First Satsuki, now you?" He grumbled, leaning back in his chair with an annoyed expression on his face. He mumbled something else that she didn't quite catch, though she could have sworn it was something along the lines of 'can't even eat in peace'. However, he just tilted his head back and glared at the ceiling, stating quite simply, "I don't need to be babied."

"I'm not trying to baby you." Shirato folded her hands together on the table, maintaining her patience as she prodded at the bigger issue. "You're not still thinking about playing, are you?"

Judging from the way he wouldn't meet her eye, Mikoto took that as a yes.

"I don't need you to keep treating me like some kid, Miko." Aomine groused, sighing exasperatedly as he scratched the back of his head in annoyance. His reply did little to appease Shirato- if anything, it only made her frown deepen. She couldn't believe it- he was clearly suffering the aftereffects of the match with Kaijo after pushing himself so hard, and he still wanted to play?

"You can't face your opponents like this." She pointed out simply. As she continued to speak, she noticed the way Daiki's lip seemed to curl into a grimace, his eyes narrowing into slits as he stabbed his pancakes with a fork. "In your condition, if you went up against Murasakibara-kun or Akashi-"

"Would you just shut up?!" Aomine snapped, his head shooting up as he glared at her poisonously. Dammit, he was losing his appetite with all her nagging. "Stop butting into my business! I can handle it, end of story!"

"Why would you risk hurting yourself even more?" Mikoto asked, barely maintaining her control. She refused to lose her cool- she had to make him listen without stooping so low. "Is it because you want some sort of thrill? Some sort of excitement? Do you want to prove to the world that you're some big, tough guy?" Here, she began to sound a bit more desperate, pleading her cousin to listen to what she was saying. "You can't do this, Daiki!"

"You don't know anything." Aomine mumbled darkly, meeting her gaze with a look of pure arrogance.

"Then tell me." She shot back, her back ramrod-straight as she leaned forward in her seat, her lips curving into a scowl that matched Daiki's with ease. "What is it that I don't understand?"

"_Everything_!"

Evidently, her insistence had finally snapped something inside Daiki as well. The bluenette slammed his fists on the table, rattling the plate that contained his breakfast as he shot up from his seat. He grimaced slightly at the pain that shot through his leg as a result of his impulsive move, but the moment he saw his cousin's expression shift into one of concern as she reached for him, he smacked her hand away with more force than he'd intended.

The look that crossed Mikoto's face upon his reaction sent a pang of guilt through his conscience, but it wasn't enough to make him take back anything. She had pushed all the wrong buttons- something he definitely didn't need in his current state, and especially not right after he'd just woken up.

"You can't understand! You're not as all-knowing as you think you are!" He growled, no longer able to hold back his acidic words. She couldn't even begin to grasp the reasons for his desire to play- she didn't know what it was like to be him, to hate something he was so passionate about, or how it felt to be so good at something until it broke not only one's self, but others too.

In Aomine's mind, she couldn't comprehend the feeling of loving something that destroyed her. But the truth of the matter was that she _did_ know- and the reason for that was standing right in front of her.

"I'm just trying to look out for you-"

"Don't." Daiki scoffed, sneering at the brunette with such conceit Shirato almost felt sick. "You'll only get in my way." When Shirato opened her mouth to try and get a word in, Aomine finished his pointed rant with a sentence that completely silenced her, as it hit a sore spot that she had been trying to ignore all this while.

"I don't need you."

To say that the silence that followed after his cold words was tense would have been an understatement. Mikoto's face, which had initially been wearing an expression of anger shifted into one of utter shock and hurt, before it reverted back to the stone cold mask that conveyed no semblance of warmth or emotion. For a moment, as she lowered her head and her fists clenched tightly in her lap, Daiki wondered briefly if he had gone too far. He wasn't ready to apologize, however- she had started it, and if she hadn't kept ragging on him it wouldn't have turned out this way. But even so, watching her suddenly shut down like that was still-

"...Really gotta admire that Satsuki for dealing with someone like you on a daily basis."

The words that suddenly left Mikoto's mouth as she lifted her head and stared haughtily back at Daiki in an expression that mimicked his own just moments ago were callous and mocking. The coldness in her eyes briefly shocked Daiki- even when she'd slapped him, she'd never looked so unforgiving.

"She's the only one who bothers to stay, despite all the grief you give her." Mikoto tutted as she stood from her seat, walking out of the kitchen as she took her bag with her. But before she stepped out of the doorway, she turned back one last time to shoot Daiki one last look as she said, "Not even I did that."

And with that, she took her leave, not caring that she had left the house at least an hour too early for the match against Meisei she was supposed to attend. But it didn't matter anymore. Anywhere else was better than here at the moment.

She hoped that it hurt- that she had left her scar. It was a petty thing compared everything else he had inflicted on her- she was simply paying him back. He never felt any regret for his words, so why should she?

And with that thought in mind, Mikoto didn't turn back. Not even once.

* * *

"Great job out there, everyone!"

Okamura gave his fellow teammates a high five as they all gathered in the locker rooms, right after their victory against Meisei High- which had previously been the school that had lost to Touou in the first league of the Interhigh. Though the team seemed stoked about winning this match- even Himuro seemed to wear a smile on his face as he lingered amongst his friends, despite not being able to play, himself- Mikoto just couldn't bring herself to celebrate.

"You were all excellent." Araki commended them all- the second string members had done an excellent job. She then proceeded to praise them each as well as criticize their mistakes, making sure that they would understand where they may have gone wrong so that they could improve. "Okamura, Iwasaki, your defence faltered slightly on the left side of the court during the second half, but otherwise it was very well played. Inari, you handled your duty well, however..."

Mikoto's thought drowned out anything else that the coach said after that. She fixed her gaze on a spot on the floor, her fingers clutching her bracelet tightly as she replayed everything that had transpired during the match.

She had assisted in pointing out weaknesses in their opponent's defences and had directed some of her teammates towards the possibilities to score points throughout the match, and though it had been highly successful, the look on the faces of their opponents after losing the game left her questioning if what she had done was really alright. Sure, she wanted her team to win, but still... for their victory to come at the despair of another team's made her ill.

Why was all of this haunting her now? She understood what it took to win- that meant beating another team to do it. Another team that had their hopes, their dreams, and had worked so hard only to get their hopes crushed again...

"Shirato."

"Yes, coach?" Crap, she'd caught her zoning out, hadn't she? Mikoto braced herself for a lecture- she was pretty sure the woman had caught her spacing out a couple of times during the match, too- but she still looked the coach in the eye, hoping to prove that she was still as dependable as she normally was. It must have been her argument with Daiki earlier that day- it left her feelings all jumbled up and made her more perceptible to the distraction of sympathy she usually would have been able to shut out...

"...It is nothing." The coach then turned away after a long pause, and Shirato could only blink in surprise as the woman turned back to speak to the boys once more. What had that all been about? Shirato didn't have time to ponder what the coach seemed to think the better of saying, because the next thing the woman said only made her tense up even more. "The members of the assigned first string will be taking tomorrow's match, as we discussed. All of you, we'll be watching the replays one more time, and then you all have to make sure you get enough rest tonight. We cannot afford to have any of you functioning at anything less than your optimum condition. I'm sure you all understand why."

Mikoto shut her eyes as she prepared to hear the announcement she was already all too aware of. If they made it through tomorrow's match and won, they would have to face Touou. But even the aftermath of such a victory wasn't as terrifying at what really awaited them tomorrow...

"Tomorrow," Araki's voice was grave, and it was obvious to Shirato that the woman was more aware than anyone of the threat that lay ahead. "We will face Rakuzan."

* * *

That evening, when Daiki came home before the match he was supposed to be in had ended and stormed up into his room without a single word, Mikoto knew that he had been taken out of the running. Momoi had probably noticed Aomine struggling and had done what she had to by taking him out if the game- no matter how well Aomine could fake being alright, Satsuki could always see right through him. While Mikoto could only imagine what an uproar Daiki would have caused by being forced to sit out, she didn't spend any time to linger upon his attitude- her thoughts were focused elsewhere.

Shirato all but stuffed her dinner down her throat before excusing herself from the table that night, rushing up to her room as she went straight to the study desk. As she turned on the laptop she had brought with her on the trip, she also grabbed the backpack in which she kept all her 'manager' things and pulled out two items- a thick notebook, and a CD labelled 'Rakuzan'.

The book she had was a copy of the one Coach Araki had, containing notes on each and every opponent they had faced. The coach had entrusted her with the task of filling out any gaps in between and adding on anything else she could find from all the recordings they had. The CD on the other hand, Mikoto had compiled herself using recordings of each players' middle school matches as well as matched they'd played as a team thus far- Araki had been pleasantly surprised when she'd passed it to her, and the coach was probably showing it to the team right now. She had spent hours just putting the thing together, and she had run herself ragged over the course of just a couple of days trying to find out as much as she could about Rakuzan High's Basketball Team. It wasn't the first time she was reviewing the notes again, but Shirato wasn't willing to risk missing something that could be vital to her team's progress. Despite the coach's advice to get enough rest before the match the following morning... Mikoto just couldn't afford it.

Rakuzan. The name of the school itself managed to send a chill down Mikoto's spine. They'd held the title of champion for years now, with not a single team being able to knock them off the pedestal.

And this year, with none other than Seijuuro Akashi leading the team, that pedestal had been placed even further out of reach than it already was.

Mikoto had barely allowed herself to rest as she gathered as much information as she could surrounding the players on Rakuzan's team, even before the Interhigh had begun. The impromptu manager had no idea which members would be placed against her team, but the possibility that the first-string players could be put out there... it terrified her.

Reo Mibuchi. Vice captain and shooting guard. Also known as the Yaksha due to his special moveset, the Earth, Heaven and Oblivion shooting styles- the last of which was only seen when facing an opponent of worthy calibre. The guy had extremely high proficiency and accuracy when it came to shooting, which in itself made him a pretty dangerous opponent- Mikoto also couldn't help but grimace as she noted quite a number of similarities between him and their own shooting guard when she'd watched an old replay. That wasn't good- Inari was talented, but his skills weren't quite up to Himuro's level, which meant that their opponent had an edge over them in that aspect.

Kotaro Hayama, the Raiju. Possessing high agility and stamina, his scoring techniques and defence was impeccably strong. Known for his speed and his famous Lightning Dribble, which earned him his nickname. His prediction abilities and control were exceptional as well- only adding to his threatening position on the court. The boy seemed way too hyper for his own good- Shirato was personally very relieved that none of her own boys were that energetic, but that also left the possibility for the Yosen players to be exhausted while he kept going. Definitely not good.

Eikichi Nebuya, otherwise known as Herculean Strength. This guy was an interesting case- a former power forward who then changed positions to become a centre. From personal inquiries, Mikoto was aware that this Araki was pretty cautious of this guy as well, most likely due to his sheer size and skill. The guy was more muscular than even Okamura, though not as tall, and could probably give the Shield of Aegis a run for their money if he attempted to breach their defences.

Chihiro Mayuzumi was a mystery. There wasn't any information on the guy due to him being the newest player on the team. He had no name for himself, and no history in basketball- even his skills were a mystery, seeing as Mikoto couldn't dig up anything about the guy. He just seemed like a regular, but average player, and that immediately had Mikoto on her guard. She had to keep a close eye on this one if he was sent out onto the court- ignorance was something that they really could not afford.

Seijuuro Akashi. Captain, point guard, and _very_ dangerous. Of all the Rakuzan members, the one whose moveset and abilities she was the most familiar and with was his- at least, to an extent. He was easily considered an all-rounder- with his prowess at scoring as well as his exceptional strategies, he was the ideal player. The Emperor Eye would prove to be the greatest threat if he were set up against Yosen, but no matter how many memories she dug through and replays she watched, she couldn't figure out a way to overcome it. Not even Araki's notes had any mention of strategies against him...

Suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of despair, Mikoto put aside her work and clutched her head in her hands, suppressing a tired groan. She'd been going at this for hours now, scribbling down every new observation she could find and the possibilities of the improvements they could have made by now. She knew how Akashi trained his teammates- he saw everything, down to the most minute detail, and he would have no doubt made a move to fix any weaknesses in his teammates' technique. Though she doubted that he could fix _all_ of their flaws, which were already few as it was, there was also the issue of him possibly being able to see the potential for them to do more, and to act upon it...

Mikoto sighed again, glancing at the clock sitting on the desk. It was just past seven in the morning- brilliant. She hadn't gotten any sleep at all. The match with Rakuzan would be later in the afternoon, so maybe she could get a couple of winks... maybe.

She'd pulled all-nighters for exams and the like before, but never for her manager duties. Of all the opponents they'd faced off against, the preparation for this one was the most taxing- physically, and emotionally. She felt completely drained, and the feeling of hopelessness was stifling. She desperately wanted her team to win, and she was doing everything she could, but she was no Satsuki Momoi- what she was capable of was nothing extraordinary, and as long as it remained that way there weren't many advantages she could provide for her boys.

Even with her above-average brilliance, there was only so much she could do. Try as she might... she would never be a manager of Momoi's calibre- not with the lack of experience she possessed.

When her cellphone vibrated as it sat by the side of her desk, Mikoto slowly lifted her head out of her hands as she told herself to pull it together. She had to stay strong for her team- undermining her worth and having a crisis now, of all times, wasn't going to do anything. With this shaky resolve, Mikoto nodded to herself as she picked up her phone, expecting it to be one of the team members calling... only to frown at what she saw.

It was an unknown number. Though it raised some confusion, Mikoto just brushed it off and answered anyway- maybe it was someone who had dialled the wrong number.

"Hello?"

"Mikoto."

Mikoto's blood turned into ice in her veins. She knew the owner of that voice- only one person could sound so calm, yet so dreadfully menacing...

"A-Akashi-san." Mikoto's voice was tight as she responded, and her hands slowly clenched into fists as she tried to stop herself from cringing. Incredible- even when he wasn't here in person, the mere notion that he was speaking to her was enough to make her quake in her boots.

"I will make my reason for contacting you clear." Seijuuro's tone was crisp and direct- he always did have a penchant for being frank. "Do not attempt to sway Atsushi back into playing, for any reason whatsoever. Do we understand each other?"

Wait, what? 'Sway him back into playing'? What did he mean by that?

Shirato swallowed hard, not quite brave enough to bring herself to ask what Akashi was implying. Instead, she settled for a feeble response of, "You make it sound as though he would actually listen to me."

And indeed, it sounded unrealistic to her ears. Murasakibara had made his mule-like stubbornness clear- even Araki had trouble handling him sometimes. The only ones who seemed to truly hold sway over him were Himuro, who Atsushi listened to with a bit more compliance than others- and even then, only just a bit- and Seijuuro himself, who no one could defy. The notion that Murasakibara would ever listen to her was preposterous.

But apparently, Akashi didn't think so.

"You do not know Atsushi as well as you think you do." His voice was a bit colder than it was before, and though it was just a slight change it was still enough to make Shirato shiver. Akashi then added with finality, "Again, Mikoto- I will not tolerate insubordination. If Atsushi plays, I will know why."

Part of her wanted to snap back- to tell him that she wasn't going to listen to him, that he had no right to interfere with her team. But the logical and overall dominant part of her brain told her to shut up- angering Seijuuro Akashi was something that would bring dire consequences; ones that she just didn't have the guts to face.

So, she keeled.

"Yes, Akashi-san." Mikoto muttered, her eyes squeezing shut as her fists clenched even tighter, her knuckles turning white. She hated this feeling of subservience and powerlessness. She was independent and headstrong- having to submit to an authoritative figure was not something she enjoyed, even more so if said figure was not someone she gave her respect to willingly.

But the fact of the matter was that she _did_ respect Akashi, no matter how grudgingly. And she just couldn't stand up to him- hell, no one could.

"Very well." Akashi responded passively, his voice steady and emotionless. Mikoto had to repress another wince- the way he just ruled over others without so much as lifting a finger was just frightening. "Have a pleasant stay while you are in Tokyo, Mikoto."

"Thank you, Akashi-san." Shirato replied, just as calmly. She didn't hang up first- she waited for Akashi to do so before she lowered her phone from her ear.

Pathetic. She couldn't even bring herself to do something so simple.

As Mikoto moved to press the 'back' button on her phone, she noticed with dismay that her fingers were trembling. However- try as she might- she couldn't stop the shaking, and she quickly dropped her phone onto her desk before clasping her hands together fearfully.

The 'other' Seijuuro Akashi had sent her a message- no, a very clear warning if she tried to interfere with whatever plans he had in mind for the Interhigh and the rest of the old Teiko team. And by contacting her directly... had he known just how much she feared him? The infallible, absolute captain of the Generation of Miracles. Arrogance. Pride. Superiority. Out of all the Miracles, he suffered the brunt of all these traits, and for good reason. The change he underwent was absolutely terrifying... yet jaw-droppingly magnificent. Mikoto revered his skill and feared his presence. She never wanted anything to do with this side of him- never wanted to even catch his attention for the briefest of moments. And yet, he still...

Mikoto shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She couldn't worry about that now- just what _had_ he meant by 'attempting to sway Atsushi back into playing'? Was... was he serious?

No. She refused to accept it. Atsushi was many things, but there was no way he would abandon his team now, no matter what Akashi had said. He wasn't that kind of person...

Her phone rang again. This time, it was a number she recognized, but her heart only sank further as she saw Himuro's name on the screen.

And with that, Mikoto knew that her optimism had been falsely placed.

"Shirato-"

"I know." Mikoto interrupted, grabbing her bag as she stood up and prepared to leave. "Tell the others I'll be at the hotel in ten."

* * *

"I see." Mikoto responded tersely as she leaned against the wall in the hotel room in which the Yosen team as well as Araki were gathered in. Though the sight of so many huge boys gathered in a tiny room and struggling to find space to sit down would have amused Shirato on a regular occasion, she just couldn't bring herself to look at anything lightheartedly at the moment- especially after Coach Araki had informed her of Murasakibara's declaration that he was not playing. Speaking of whom, Mikoto noted with a spark of disdain that said boy wasn't even in the room with the others- probably gone out to visit all those confectionery stores he used to venture to now that he didn't have to play anymore... or possibly to escape her wrath.

Probably both.

"You don't look surprised." Araki noted, though her voice lacked any amusement or surprise. The other guys all looked pretty tense as well- their nervousness about today's match probably wasn't alleviated by the fact that Murasakibara, their ace had dropped out and left then to fend for themselves. "Did you already know?"

"I received the information from another source earlier today." Mikoto replied. She wasn't willing to say just who this 'source' was, and thankfully Araki didn't ask. Instead, her frown deepened as she crossed her arms, still struggling to accept this sudden setback.

"With Murasakibara out of the field, our chances at winning have dropped significantly." Masako admitted sourly, "We could most definitely make it to the top three, but the odds of us actually winning... are very slim."

"You mean besides the fact that we're facing Rakuzan with neither of our aces playing?" Fukui muttered bitterly, emitting a disdainful snort.

"Now isn't the time for your sarcasm!" Mikoto snarled, her expression so furious that Fukui immediately shut up out of shock. However, her loss of composure lasted barely a few seconds before she plastered on a mask of indifference once more before informing, "From what I've gathered, both Rakuzan and Touou will be subbing out Akashi-san and Da- ...Aomine, respectively." She corrected herself quickly to avoid confusion among the members. Not that it helped- they all looked shocked at this sudden revelation either way. "In other words, none of the Miracles will be competing in the final."

"Are you serious?!" Okamura was incensed- what were these guys playing at? "Are they underestimating us?"

"Aomine can't play. His leg is giving him problems." Mikoto said simply. "As for the other two... I don't know."

The girl could only imagine what kind of hell Murasakibara had been given earlier that morning when he'd announced his plans. Most likely, it involved a lot of shouting and cursing, which probably only settled down after a complaint from another hotel guest. Atsushi would have used that moment to escape, leaving them all to calm down and figure things out. Shirato had to wonder just how long they'd all been here in this tiny room, discussing their strategies before they'd finally called her up...

"This is all very peculiar." Liu muttered, his eyes narrowed as he thought hard. "Could their reluctance stem from the fact that Touou is retracting their own ace?"

"It..." Mikoto hesitated, knowing that it was simply speculation and that there was no way to be completely sure. However, it was the only logical explanation that she could think of, too. "It seems likely."

"So they _are_ underestimating us." Himuro murmured, his unexpected input surprising everyone. Though the boy's face was expressionless as he stared at the wall across the room, there was an edge to his words, and a rigidity to his stance that spoke volumes about how revolted he really felt. Even he had never manipulated a match like this before- this was just... disgusting. "This is all just a game to entertain them, isn't it?"

"The match is in a couple of hours." Mikoto glanced at her wristwatch- it was just past eight o'clock. "What are we planning to do?" She inquired immediately, deciding to address the major issue first.

"The positions remain the same, save for the fact that Nakagawa will be taking over as power forward, while Okamura will be playing as our centre." Judging from the way Araki spoke without hesitation, it was safe to assume that they'd all been discussing this even before Mikoto had arrived. The girl just nodded approvingly at what they'd laid out so far- it was a smart move, given that Okamura was tall and strong enough to make up for Murasakibara's absence. He also had a fair share of experience as a centre, given that it was the position he'd initially held before Atsushi came along.

"Size is an advantage if we're facing Nebuya-san as the centre." Mikoto murmured, remembering the stats of the Rakuzan player. If she recalled correctly, he wasn't as tall as Okamura- it wasn't much, but it would hopefully give them a slight advantage over their opponent...

"There is also one more change."

_'Another one?'_ Her curiosity piqued, Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed together as she noticed the nervous, almost guilty expressions the boys were suddenly wearing- the only one who could look her in the eye was Himuro, and even he looked somewhat discomfited. A feeling of dread seeped into Shirato's mind, but she tried to push it away as she watched the coach's serious expression.

"What is it?"

"You will not be active in this match, Shirato."

Her heart froze.

"...I'm sorry?" Mikoto could barely squeeze the words that almost stuck in her throat. Was the coach really saying what she thought she was?

"Your advice and notes shall be taken into account, yes," Araki said slowly, gauging the girl's reaction. "But your presence is not required at the match."

Shirato's mind could not fully grasp the whole situation. Why was she being cut out of this on such short notice? This was a crucial match! None of the others spoke up to explain anything, either- they were all silent as they watched her cautiously, as if they were afraid she was going to snap. Not eager to prove them right, the brunette inhaled slowly, calming her suddenly racing heart as she met Araki's eye once more, barely able to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke.

"I don't understand. Why is this necessary?"

"It is by my judgement, and the rest of the team agree. You are not ready to face this match, Shirato."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Mikoto insisted, sounding almost lost now as she asked. "A-am I not good enough?"

"Shirato-san-" Here, Kenichi tried to address her, apparently sensing her distress, but Araki held up a hand and shot him a look, and he fell silent immediately. The woman's dark eyes were firm as she glanced back at Mikoto once more, not willing to hold back the truth- she needed to hear this. This was not a debatable request- this was an order.

"You need time, Shirato." Araki stated bluntly. "Time to separate your emotions from your duty and to adapt to what this game requires. You are not ready to make the right decisions that require you to put aside your feelings for the benefit of the team- and this match will need that."

"But-"

"Being dedicated is one thing," The woman cut her off before she could attempt to defend herself, wanting her to hear every word. "But being overly emotional can also impair your judgement and your reaction to the way things turn out. That is your weakness."

"_I know it is_!"

Shirato's finely tuned control, which had always seemed so perfectly intact suddenly snapped as she hissed out that last sentence, her hand flying to her forehead as she grasped several locks of the hair framing her face tightly in her fist. It was such a sudden change in demeanour- one that startled even Araki as her eyes widened in surprise. However, this time Mikoto didn't reel herself back in- she just went at it as the words flew out in a rushed, angry torrent, her normally calm blue eyes flashing with frustration and anger.

"I know what my weakness are, but how can I ever learn to fix that if you keep shielding me from the reality of things? I care about this team as much as the rest of you! Why do I have to stand aside? Why do I have to be exempted from the brunt of everything? Why..." Here Shirato had to pause as her voice broke, and she slowly unclenched her fists as she took a shuddering breath, finishing her tirade quietly, "Why do you have to face it all while I hide?"

Upon those last, meek words, Himuro instinctively took a step forth, ready to reach out and comfort the girl. However, the logical side of his thoughts reprimanded him- he couldn't interrupt now. She needed to acknowledge this and face it, even if it hurt- it was the only way she would be able to improve herself. All of the other guys were quiet as well- none of them had ever seen their manager so riled up before, and while it was obvious that they were stumped, all of them knew they had to stand back this time. And so, Tatsuya reluctantly held his tongue, though he wanted to beat himself up for it.

"Even with the knowledge of one's own weakness," When Araki finally spoke up after a few beats of silence, her voice was unusually soft, sounding almost compassionate. "Ill preparation will still break you, and it will only hinder your progress. You are not yet prepared to face this type of scenario, Shirato. You're... too gentle."

At this point, Shirato wasn't the only one who was floored by those words. As Mikoto blinked slowly, trying to regain her composure- or possibly trying to blink back tears- Himuro could only stare blankly at the coach, whose expression remained stern, yet sympathetic. It was obvious that she felt at least slightly guilty for having to break it to Mikoto in this fashion, even though it was the only way to get her to understand. That wasn't what had shocked Himuro, however- it was the adjective Araki had used when recounting Mikoto's real fault.

Gentle. The exact word Alex had used to describe him once, many years ago.

And in Himuro's mind, Araki couldn't have been more accurate.

"...I understand." Mikoto managed to respond apologetically once she got a hold of herself, sounding almost like her usual self as she bowed respectfully before the coach. "Please forgive my outburst. It was not my place."

If the coach had felt insulted or disrespected by Mikoto's reaction, she didn't show it. Araki may have been difficult to read, but even Himuro could tell that she didn't hold Mikoto's outburst against her. If anything, he would have guessed that the coach had been _hoping_ for a reaction from the girl- it was the only way to know that her words had reached her.

"Go home and rest today." Araki advised Mikoto, her tone reprimanding, but kind. "You need it. Don't worry about the notes on Touou and Onita."

"Yes, Coach." Mikoto replied, standing up straight once more. However, her eyes remained glued to the floor, and she was too ashamed of her little tantrum to look anyone in the eye. Not to mention that she still wasn't pleased about having to leave everything to them...

"What is everyone looking so down about?" Okamura's voice broke the stifling tension in the room, and he drew everyone's attention as he stood up, his expression a mixture of exasperation and determination. "So what if Murasakibara isn't playing? We're the Shield of Aegis! We made that name before there were even any of these so-called 'Miracles' to begin with! So why do we need to depend on someone else to win this match for us? Have we no pride?"

"Captain..." The members of the team were stunned- for most of them, this was the first time they had seen Okamura taking the lead and standing as the leader he was supposed to be. Even Shirato was stunned by this sudden assertiveness. But despite all the surprised looks he was receiving, Okamura still continued on without being deterred.

"All of us here were chosen to be on this team for a reason- and that's because of what we're capable of! We're one of the best high school basketball teams in Japan! Have more faith- now is our chance to shine!" Okamura smacked his fist into his palm, his voice rising with conviction as he rallied his teammates. It was working- their expressions were slowly morphing into ones of hope and determination as the captain's heartfelt speech had its desired effect. "Even if we have to go down, are we going to go down quietly? No! We're going to thrash and bite and fight back, until the very end? Isn't that right?"

"Yeah!" The response from nearly everyone in the room was instantaneous, and all of them sounded just as spirited as the one who had raised their morale in the first place. The room, which had formerly been filled with such a terse atmosphere was now filled with a lively aura that radiated from each and every one of the basketball players, all of whom had regained the will to fight for their victory once more.

"I guess it's worth a shot." Fukui muttered as he leaned back on the bed he sat on, though a satisfied smirk rested on his lips. It looked like the vice-captain was finally catching a break.

"Perhaps we might be able to stand our ground." Liu agreed. Well, it was about time that chin-gorilla finally proved just why he had earned that position he had.

"Shirato-san," Okamura then turned to Mikoto, who started upon being addressed directly. The upperclassman wore a cocky grin on his face as he pumped his fist eagerly, not leaving out the newest addition to their little family. "You've done all you can to help our team get to where we are. Don't worry- we won't let your efforts go to waste. We'll make you proud."

Mikoto was utterly stunned. She hadn't expected to be counted as one of them so easily- she had always thought she was the outsider in this band of brothers. She didn't have an official position amongst them, she always put them through torturous practices, and in all honesty she hardly contributed anything to the team. But as Kenichi smiled at her with such trust and kindness, she knew her doubt had been falsely placed all this while.

They had always accepted her as one of their own. She just hadn't seen it.

In yet another event that left the Yosen team utterly speechless, Mikoto allowed herself to smile at her team- a soft, sincere one that carried no hidden intentions besides her own gratitude.

"Holy shit." Fukui muttered. He was quickly elbowed in the gut by Liu... followed by several other members of the team at once. Future inspection would reveal a grand total of five bruises all over his ribs and one on his face.

"You don't have to." Mikoto told Okamura truthfully as she ignored Fukui's comment. "I already am."

Her response earned a proud nod from Kenichi, whose grin seemed to widen as he spun back to face his teammates once again. "You hear that, guys? We can't let our manager down!"

"Yeah!" They all echoed again, even louder than the last time. However, this only served to bring about repercussions as there was the sound of someone rapping against the wall to their left, followed by an angry shout of, "Keep it down up there, ya rowdy youngsters! Don't make me report you again!"

"Sorry!" They all replied in sync, and they heard the sound of muffled grumbling coming from the visitor next door before everything fell silent once again. This time however, the silence was much more comfortable and easy to deal with- even Araki's lips were upturned as she shook her head. Mikoto's smile didn't falter either, and as she glanced back at the boys sheepishly shuffling their feet- or, in Fukui's case, counting the bruises he'd received- her eyes met with the steel-grey ones of Himuro, who returned her smile with one of his own. It was a rare show of genuine happiness on both their parts, and that was all Shirato needed for all her worries to be washed away, if only for a short while.

Yeah. She was glad she'd gotten stuck with these idiots.

* * *

"So..."

Himuro's casual voice earned a raised eyebrow from Mikoto as the two stood before the elevator doors of the hotel, the latter wary of the boy's nonchalant attitude. If there was one thing she learned about Tatsuya, it was that whenever he sounded too easygoing about something, it usually meant that he had a hidden agenda.

"You're still free tomorrow, right?"

Yep. She'd guessed right.

"I guess I am." Mikoto shrugged, pressing the 'down' button on the panel. Glancing up at the plate above the elevator door, the one that they were to enter was only just sending passengers from the fifth floor to the ground floor. They were on the twelfth floor. Great.

"So is our date still on?" Himuro asked, inwardly hoping that she wouldn't call it off. He'd actually been looking forward to this much more than he'd expected...

"Yeah, I guess we are." This time, Mikoto yawned as soon as the words left her mouth, and she covered her mouth with her hand as she did so. Wow, she was exhausted...

"You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?" Tatsuya inquired knowingly, just as the elevator emitted a 'ding' and the doors slid open. He automatically placed a hand against one side of the doorframe as he allowed Mikoto to enter first, before getting into the lift himself and pressing the button that would take them to the ground floor. In the light of the elevator, he could see the shadows beneath her eyes a bit more clearly- something he'd first noticed when Shirato had first entered the room earlier. In fact, once the business with the team had settled down, Shirato had experienced a noticeable drop in energy that left Tatsuya a little worried that she would suddenly pass out on the way home- hence explaining why he was accompanying her now.

At least, that was the justification he had given Liu when the boy had asked why he was escorting her. The small forward hadn't seemed very convinced, and for once Himuro couldn't blame him.

"Yeah." Mikoto replied blearily, smacking her face lightly to try and wake herself up. It didn't exactly work. "I was just so worried..."

_'And I couldn't let you guys down'_, she almost added. But she didn't need to- Coach Araki's statement earlier had pretty much said it all, anyway. She let her emotions get the better of her sometimes, which meant that she occasionally lost sight of the big picture as she became too focused on one thing. If she let herself get too distracted by pity for their opponents, her capability would falter and it may cost them the match. Or conversely, if a drastic move had to be made to ensure the team's victory, she doubted she would have been able to make that decision, too. Perhaps it really was better for her to sit this one out...

"Hey," Himuro said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. Mikoto would never understand just how capable he was of reading her emotions, as if she were some open book, but she noticed that it no longer bothered her anymore. "It's not your fault. You can't excel at everything the first time around, right?" The boy then shot her another of his rare, sincere smiles, and Mikoto could have sworn her heart seemed to skip a beat. She just chalked it up to her exhaustion. "This is just a small bump in the road. Don't let it bring you down."

"I won't." Mikoto told him just as they reached the ground floor, once again returning his smile. "Thanks, Himuro-kun. I needed that."

"Always happy to help." He replied easily, releasing her shoulder as they waited for the elevator doors to open. When they did, the two of them paused for a moment when the sight of a violet-haired giant holding a huge bag of newly-bought goods and clenching a chu-chu popsicle between his lips greeted them. Atsushi Murasakibara looked just as surprised as his upperclassmen as his eyes widened briefly, though it reverted back to his usual bland expression just as quickly.

"Oh, Muro-chin. Shira-chin."

"Atsushi." Himuro greeted politely as both he and Shirato stepped out of the elevator. He also couldn't stop himself from shooting Mikoto a worried glance out of the corner of his eye, hoping that she wouldn't completely fly off the railing to have a go at Atsushi. It was clear that she didn't approve of his reasons for quitting- neither did he, but that didn't mean he wanted to deal with the problem of having to lug the unconscious body of a boy that weighed over 90 kilos all the way back up to the hotel room.

Shirato's face was scarily unreadable despite the tiredness etched into her features, and Himuro had to stop himself from gulping in fear when she simply strode past him and up to Atsushi, who looked down at her- wow, she really was tiny compared to him- as their gazes met evenly.

"...What?" Murasakibara finally asked once they'd stared each other down for a few seconds, though Himuro could have sworn he detected a hint of caution in his voice. Instead of a verbal response, Mikoto's face was an unreadable mask as raised her hand towards Atsushi- almost as if she were going to give him a slap right across his face. Himuro unconsciously tensed, waiting to see what she would do as her hand reached Murasakibara's face level...

And she poked him in the middle of his forehead, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so.

Atsushi's face was deadpan. As was Himuro's.

"I expect nothing but your best at the Winter Cup." Shirato spoke simply, as if commenting on the weather. "Dinner's on me if you win for us."

Murasakibara's eyebrows raised as he heard this, and Himuro's expression was the same as well. Blinking a couple of times, as if he wasn't sure he was hearing right, the tall boy then nodded slowly as he drawled out, "Okay. I can do that."

"And if you don't," Here, an almost evil smirk tugged at one corner of Shirato's lips, her expression noticeably darkening- much to the two basketball players' distress. "I'll triple your training regimen, okay?"

"Hah?" Murasakibara was taken aback. That wasn't something he had accounted for...

"That's all." Mikoto then dropped her arm back to her side and stepped back, walking past Murasakibara and towards the entrance of the hotel. Without turning around, she then continued, "Come on, Himuro-kun."

"R-right." Tatsuya finally blinked himself out of his stupor, walking quickly to catch up to her. He simply lifted a hand as he walked past Atsushi and bid him farewell, and as the two teens went in their way Atsushi Murasakibara could only stare after them blankly, the popsicle in his mouth suddenly tasting a lot less interesting than before.

* * *

Himuro waited patiently as Mikoto purchased her ticket from the machine in the subway station, his eyes idly following her movements. He didn't know if she was even aware of the fact that she seemed to smooth her hair back every now and then, and Himuro was almost tempted to smack her hand each time she did so, just to see how she would react to him doing so. But given that she was probably really tired at the moment, he decided he didn't want to risk it- he would prefer to keep both his arms if he could help it. Once that was done, he accompanied her as far as he could into the station, the two of them stopping right before the turnstile that only ticket buyers could get past.

"So," Mikoto cleared her throat, glancing up at the ebony-haired boy by her side. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Himuro nodded, before he added teasingly, "Try not to get so excited that you can't sleep tonight again, alright? Can't have my date looking like she just rose from the dead.

"Perish the thought." Mikoto replied blankly, rolling her eyes at his words. Himuro couldn't help but chuckle- her blunt nature never failed to amuse him- before he took a step back and bowed deeply, sweeping his arm out in a grand gesture towards the turnstile.

"Your carriage awaits, my lady." He announced dramatically as he smirked up at the brunette, who looked as if she was unsure whether she wanted to kick him or pretend she didn't know him. When she blushed and scowled at him in annoyance, Himuro couldn't help but think just how attractive she looked-

Wait.

Did he just think what he thought he had?

"Stand up straight, idiot." Shirato hissed as she kicked at his ankles lightly, and she had to jump back slightly when Himuro straightened up faster than she'd expected. Tatsuya just couldn't help himself- the realization that had just sparked to life in his mind sent his head spinning, and he had to take a moment to regain his composure. When he saw Mikoto glancing at him curiously with those ocean eyes of hers, he simply put on his usual Mona Lisa-esque smile as he attempted to save the situation.

"I'll be waiting at the station near your house tomorrow at nine. Don't keep me waiting too long, alright?"

Thankfully, Mikoto seemed to buy it, as she didn't question his strange actions. "Alright. I'll see you then."

"See you." Himuro nodded, still wearing that half-smile of his as he willed himself to keep his cool. He waited until Shirato had passed the barrier and disappeared into the crowd before he allowed himself to exhale the breath he'd been holding in. However, he couldn't be too relieved just yet...

"Are you going to quit your stalking, now?" He called out as he turned around, knowing that Murasakibara would hear him. As expected, the boy peeked his head around the corner of the corridor, his expression only somewhat surprised as he removed himself from his 'hiding place'.

"Ah, so Muro-chin noticed." Atsushi acknowledged as he approached the older boy, still carrying his bag of goodies with him. Apparently, he had taken it upon himself to trail after the two of them after their encounter in the hotel foyer- whether he was bored, or just curious, Himuro didn't know. But what he_ had_ known was that Shirato wasn't a fool, and if he had managed to pick up on Murasakibara tailing them, then she did as well.

"It's very hard not to." Himuro admitted. "I think Shirato-chan knew too, by the way."

At the mention of the girl, Murasakibara then frowned slightly as he cocked his head to one side and stared in the direction Shirato had gone, seemingly thinking hard about something.

"Shira-chin wasn't mad at me." He mumbled out, sounding almost perplexed. Even Himuro could understand why he was feeling that way.

"No, she's not."

"That's weird."

"I think she simply understands better now, Atsushi."

Here, Murasakibara turned his gaze back to Himuro, his voice a little more careful as he asked, "Are _you_ angry at me?"

"I am." Tatsuya admitted calmly, before his eyes narrowed and he shot Atsushi a pointed look. "_Very_ angry, actually."

_'Scary._' Murasakibara couldn't help but cringe away slightly from Himuro's sharp gaze- Atsushi could almost feel daggers piercing into his skin, given from how intense the glare was. However, much to his surprise Himuro suddenly closed his eyes and glanced away, sighing quietly.

"But," Himuro's voice was level and almost peaceful as he continued, his eyes opening once more as he glanced upwards, hands placed loosely in his pockets. "If she can remain calm... I don't see why I can't."

Now that Shirato herself wasn't here, Himuro finally allowed himself to re-examine that strange feeling he'd felt earlier. It was lightheadedness, anxiety, and breathlessness all rolled into one- it was strong enough to make his heartbeat accelerate, as well...

Suddenly, Tatsuya's eyes widened and his facial muscles went slack as he finally put a name to what it was he was feeling- it was one that he'd been on the receiving end far too many times, that he had hardly ever returned or felt of his own accord. A feeling that he was pretty sure was...

"You okay, Muro-chin?" Murasakibara piped up, intrigued as he observed the change in Himuro's expression. "You've got a weird look on your face."

"Atsushi..." Himuro glanced back up at his companion slowly, finally coming to terms with his thoughts. He couldn't quite believe it- this was not something he had accounted for when he had first decided on befriending Mikoto. It was impossible- inexplicable, inconceivable. But at the same time, it made so much sense. He may have brushed it off as simply his own ego and competitiveness acting up at the idea that others might be able to get through to her better than he could at first, but now that he thought about it... it was more than that.

And as he recalled the way Mikoto looked whenever she smiled or laughed, he knew he it was confirmed when he felt his pulse speed up again. There was no denying it.

"I think I have a crush on our manager."

* * *

The first thing Mikoto did as soon as she reached home was march right up to her bedroom and collapse onto her bed. It may have been ten in the morning, but it only took her about five seconds before she knocked out completely. Unfortunately for her, however, it felt like it had only been minutes later until she heard a knocking on her bedroom door. At that point, she only had two questions- one; why wouldn't the world just let her get some sleep when she actually needed it, and two; which method would be the most painful to torture and kill the very person who dared to intrude on her slumber.

"Miko-chan! Open up!"

Was that Momoi?

Grumbling curses under her breath, Shirato eventually managed to pull herself to her feet- a herculean task that required a lot of effort on her part- and stumbled towards the door, upon which Satsuki kept knocking. Yanking open the door, Mikoto was honestly surprised that Momoi didn't even flinch upon seeing how dishevelled she knew she looked right now, or the sour expression on her face. She'd probably grown immune to it after similar dealings with Daiki over the past few years.

"About time." Momoi huffed before Mikoto could open her mouth to comment. "I tried calling your phone five times, Miko-chan. You never picked up!"

"What are you doing here, Satsuki-chan?" Mikoto asked tiredly as she rubbed at her eyes, "Is Daiki back, too?"

"No. He's out sulking somewhere again." Momoi sighed wearily, though Shirato caught a hint of worry lacing her voice. Even though she knew she should be a little concerned as well, Mikoto couldn't help but feel relieved at the news- at least she could avoid more awkward moments with him for now. "Well anyway, I thought I'd bring you lunch. It's all on the dining table."

"Lunch?" Mikoto was startled- Momoi had brought her lunch this early in the morning? Shirato's eyes then darted down to her watch just to be sure- last she'd checked, it was still...

Holy crap. It was almost three in the afternoon.

"It's already this late?!" Mikoto was stupefied. She must have been more out of it than she'd thought...

"Yep!" Momoi chirped as she grabbed Mikoto's forearm, practically dragging her out of the doorway and down the stairs as the girl stumbled after her.

"B-but, how did you know I was even here?" Shirato questioned as she was ushered into her seat by a motherly Momoi, who then handed her the styrofoam box in which her food was packed. Guiltily, Mikoto couldn't help but feel eased by the fact that the noodles Satsuki brought hadn't actually been made by her- she loved Momoi, really, but her cooking was something that she wouldn't make the mistake of offering to taste test again.

"I got a weird text from Mu-kun." Momoi shrugged as she sat down in Daiki's usual seat at the table, her slim shoulders lifting and falling easily. This was news to Shirato, who raised a curious eyebrow as she separated the bamboo chopsticks in her hands.

"What kind of text?" She inquired before she proceeded to chew on some of the noodles- wow, she hadn't realized how hungry she was. Satsuki then reached into the pocket of her skirt as she pulled out her phone, taking a moment to scroll through a few things before passing the device to Mikoto. The contact name stated that the message was from Atsushi, but when she read the text's contents Shirato's brow furrowed in confusion.

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mu-kun**

**Recipient: Mrs Kuroko**

**1.30 p.m.**

**'Shirato-chan had to go back early. She hasn't eaten yet, either.'**

**-x-x-x-**

"'Shirato-chan'?" Mikoto repeated after she'd swallowed a mouthful of food. That didn't sound like Murasakibara- the only ones who called her that were Matsuki and...

It clicked, and Mikoto's expression morphed into one of disbelief as she knew just who it was that had sent the message to Satsuki. How could she not have figured that out immediately? There was only one person who could possibly get his hands on Murasakibara's phone so easily, and she'd spoken of Satsuki once or twice in Himuro's company, too...

"You know who sent the message." Momoi tilted her head as she saw the change in Mikoto's expression, and the alarm bells immediately went off in Shirato's head. She'd forgotten just how observant Satsuki was- and she really didn't like the cheeky tone she was using...

"No I don't." Mikoto denied.

"So it was a guy you like."

"I don't like him!" Shirato retorted, before she snapped her mouth shut as she realized what she had just done. Momoi was suddenly wearing a Cheshire Cat-like grin as she straightened up in victory, and Mikoto wanted to hit herself for not holding back the automatic response.

"It's Himuro-san! I knew it!" Momoi declared, and Mikoto just huffed as she looked away.

"So what?" She mumbled as she shoved another bite of food into her mouth. Dammit- if not for all that teasing she got from others all the time about Himuro, she never would have snapped back like that without thinking...

"Ohh~" Satsuki's exclamation made Mikoto look back at her warily, and she grimaced internally when she saw the grin widening on her face. "You're embarrassed that he was worrying over you, aren't you?"

"No I wasn't." Mikoto repeated, and deep down she acknowledged that she probably sounded like a petulant five year-old now. She decided to blame her poor reactions on her lack of sleep, too.

"You're a horrible liar, Miko-chan." Momoi tutted, clearly not buying any of her denials.

"I'm not lying."

"You've never been good at fibbing. Even as a kid, you couldn't even lie your way out when you didn't finish your homework-"

"That was one time."

"Aomine-kun's ninth birthday? The botched surprise?"

"Can we just drop this?" Mikoto squirmed at the reminder of that one year that she had ruined the surprise they had planned for her cousin, all because he wouldn't stop bugging her. If there were lessons for lying, she really needed to take them.

"No way." Momoi insisted, before she pouted at Mikoto exasperatedly. "Come on, Miko-chan. Do you have any idea how stressful it's been, being surrounded by sweaty men almost every day? I need some girl talk!"

Sighing, Shirato finally looked back up at Momoi, who was still frowning woefully at her. This girl really knew how to use her puppy-dog eyes to her advantage sometimes...

But even despite all her quirks and delicate looks, she was still so strong. She was hardy and could be bossy at times, but she was still tolerant and understanding, even when it came to Aomine. Mikoto was sure that they'd had their own share of misunderstandings and conflicts, and yet she still stuck by his side no matter what... something that even Shirato, his own flesh and blood struggled to do.

Satsuki Momoi really deserved to be called Daiki's best friend.

"...Thank you, Satsuki-chan." Mikoto expressed sincerely, her reply drawing a confused look from the girl in question.

"What for?"

"Staying." Mikoto replied, sounding a bit sheepish as she remembered her bitter words from yesterday morning. "For me... and for him."

Momoi seemed to brighten at those words as she suddenly beamed warmly- it was obvious that she wasn't thanked very often, something that Mikoto believed that she should really receive everyday for all her kindness. The younger girl then reached across the table and squeezed Mikoto's hand tightly, still smiling as she replied, "That's what friends do for each other, right?"

"Friends..." That one word meant many things to Mikoto. Back in Teiko, she had made friends with several of the Miracles, and when she'd lost them it had left a wound that was practically impossible to heal. Even as she slowly reconnected with some of them it still hurt whenever she thought about what they'd done.

But now, she also had new friends that helped to patch up that scar. Though it had been slow and difficult for her to readily accept more of them as she lowered her walls, it was only today, after all that had happened for her to truly acknowledge them as her companions. The hurt was now easier to bear as more people took their place in her heart, as if their care for her was enough to heal her.

And it was really all thanks to that one, annoying shooting guard who hadn't stopped trying to get to know her all those months ago.

"But seriously though," Momoi's voice made Mikoto snap back to reality, and the pinkette was winking at her with a sly glint in her magenta eyes as she asked, "Is he cute?"

Shirato sighed, knowing that Satsuki really wasn't going to let this drop. "If I say he is, will you stop bringing this up?" She asked monotonously.

"Maybe~"

That was Satsuki talk for 'not at all'.

"...He has nice eyes, I guess."

And that was Mikoto talk for 'he's pretty damn hot'.

* * *

**AN (2): Talk about the fastest update thus far. I just needed to get this vital plot point outta the way first before we progress onto the event everyone has been waiting for- the date (*lies down and dies because I cannot romance*). And if you guys were looking forward to seeing the Rakuzan match, I'm really sorry. I didn't want to run the risk of going against the canon plot- we don't know just what Yosen faced from Rakuzan by the time the Winter Cup rolled around, given how surprised most of them were by the players' abilities, and aside from Mikoto's development I also wasn't sure if I could pull off writing such a vital match without undermining anything. Sorry, guys :C. I do hope the other stuff in this chapter makes up for it, though.**

**On to the credits! I would like to extend my thanks and cyber hugs to VixenOfMeiraz, LincoeAllison3298, e-addi, Shattermirror, The Inner Mind Of A Basilisk, PhoenixRage92, Xxdreamergirl92xX, Indirianna, SnowstormX, efilym, okitaco, Bliss Autumn and Human Marshmallow for reviewing! I've honestly never gotten this many reviews at once before, and I'm flattered that you all enjoyed that last update enough to leave your comments! You guys make my day 8'D. Shout out to everyone who added this story to their follows and favourites, too- you guys just keep rockin' on! ;D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

**Anddd another early update. As usual, please keep in mind that I updated this story just last week as well, so do turn back and check it out before continuing if you haven't read it yet! Thanks!**

_"That is yet another victory in my favour, senpai."_

_Shirato could only sigh as she accepted her third loss in a row, shaking her head with an exasperated smile on her face. She really was terrible at strategy games- that much was made obvious from the way Akashi had just wiped the floor with her within less than an hour since they started playing shogi. It was a slow day, and since Akashi had asked if she would have liked to play against him, she had simply accepted it without much thought. Now she was just plain embarrassed._

_"Another one?" Shirato had to give a bark of laughter at her terrible streak. Though she could be considered smart, her terrible skills when it came to games like these probably made her seem like an idiot- especially in the eyes of someone as adept as Seijuuro Akashi. "I'm sorry for being such a lousy opponent. Midorima-kun probably puts up a much better fight than I do."_

_"Your strategies are adequate enough. However, most of them often limit yourself to a niche of options in the event of an interception." Akashi assured, his voice level and concise. Shirato had to admire the way he carried himself so well- it was hard to believe that he was a year younger than she was. "You also lack the foresight required to accurately predict your opponent's true aim. When I did not move as you expected, you were at a loss."_

_When he was done reminding Mikoto of all the flaws in her technique- and basically, just how much she sucked at shogi- Seijuuro's lips turned upwards at the corners as he shot her a small, polite smile. "Regardless, some of the manoeuvres you attempted were very intriguing. I simply managed to see through them."_

_"That assessment was on point. I can see why you're the top student of your year." Mikoto chuckled pleasantly, though she still felt a bit sheepish at being outwitted by an underclassman._

_"In terms of academic track records, you are not far behind either, senpai."_

_"You're just being modest. I have to admit though- with your capabilities, you'd be a dangerous enemy to have, Akashi-kun." She commented lightly, rearranging the koma on her side of the board. She'd meant it as a simple joke, something that wasn't meant to be taken seriously..._

_"As would you."_

_But the manner in which Akashi replied, so serious and without a hint of laughter, made Mikoto pause._

_"I'm sorry?" She asked as she glanced up at him, blinking in vague surprise when she saw the solemn expression on his face._

_"Some might call it a weakness, but emotional vulnerability can also be utilized as an advantage." Akashi spoke calmly as he moved his own koma back into place. "Your empathy is what makes others listen and comply to your will. In your own right, you command authority as well as I do, only in a more subtle manner."_

_When Seijuuro's eyes met hers again, Shirato could have sworn that- for just a moment- one of them gleamed golden._

_"And that potentially makes you even more dangerous than I." He finished, his voice low and almost dark. All of a sudden, Mikoto felt like she was talking to someone else entirely- as though the boy with the slight smile from earlier had vanished completely. Suddenly feeling as if the temperature of the room had dropped several degrees, Shirato carefully averted her eyes and focused her attention on the koma once more as she moved them back into their original positions carefully. Thankfully, that was all that Akashi said before they commenced yet another round of shogi- the moment of heaviness disappearing as if it had never been there in the first place._

_That was the first time Mikoto got a vague glimpse of the 'other' Akashi- the one that lingered just beneath the surface of the collected, yet kind boy that seemed to have it all._

_And unfortunately, it wasn't the last._

* * *

Her hands were clammy, and she had no idea why.

Mikoto swallowed nervously, not for the first time since she'd arrived at the station platform, as she picked at the short sleeved denim jacket she wore over her grey shirt. When she'd woken up much later than she'd initially planned to that morning, she'd all but scrambled to clean herself up and had just thrown on whatever she could get her hands on. She didn't even grab her breakfast before rushing out the door- partially because of the time constraint, and partially because Daiki was already awake and eating at the table by the time she'd gotten up.

After the incident from two days ago, Shirato wasn't particularly eager to sit through another awkward meal with him alone, and so she'd just run past the kitchen and out the front door before he could catch her doing so. Aunt Shiori would have to forgive her for skipping out on breakfast today- a move she was starting to regret just a little. She was pretty hungry...

"You're early."

Mikoto's hand nearly flew out to sock the owner of the sudden voice out of instinct. Instead, her head just snapped up and she forced her expression to straighten out, not wanting Himuro to see just how nervous she was. The boy in turn looked as relaxed as ever, and as he stood there dressed in jeans and a sleeveless black hoodie which complemented his fit figure, Mikoto didn't miss the appreciative looks some of the passing girls shot him- and envious ones a couple of guys, too. She couldn't blame them- for its simplicity, it was a pretty stylish look that suited him.

...Not that she was checking him out, of course.

"Nothing wrong with punctuality." Shirato murmured, her sneakered foot scuffing the tiled floor anxiously. _Please don't notice anything off_, she begged internally. _Please don't notice anything..._

"Did you eat before coming here?"

Her luck was just plain terrible.

"Uh..." Mikoto hesitated, knowing he would see right through any lie she attempted. She didn't need to think of one to say anyway- her stomach answered for her by emitting a long, loud growl.

Himuro didn't look very impressed, but Shirato could have sworn he was trying to hold back a smirk.

"Are you trying to get yourself sick?"

"I overslept." Mikoto replied instantly, quickly attempting to change the subject as she added, "How did the match go?"

When Himuro winced at the mention of the game, Mikoto wished she'd just kept her mouth shut. That really wasn't the best topic to switch to...

"Do you really want to know the details?" He asked, sounding highly skeptical.

"I'm going to watch the recording sooner or later, anyway." Mikoto sighed. It must have been pretty bad if Himuro wouldn't even tell her any of the details...

"Then I'll let you judge it for yourself when they time comes."

"The score, at least?"

"...86 - 147."

This time, Mikoto winced.

"How are they handling it?" She asked, concerned for the other members of the team. Thank goodness for this one day off today to recover- if it were any other year, they would have had to play a game today. But because the stadium officials had messed up with the timing of the Interhigh and another formal event taking place that week, the duration of the IH had to be extended a day longer than usual.

Araki had given the organizers hell over the phone when she'd found out. Shirato was pretty sure such a mixup wasn't going to happen again.

"They're okay, but not great." Himuro replied. Shirato had expected as much- a loss like that would definitely have discouraged them somehow- even she was feeling down after hearing the score. Tatsuya just tried to shrug it off, though it wasn't quite as convincing as it should have been. "Okamura managed to get them pumped for tomorrow's match, at least."

"It's a small consolation." Mikoto concluded, not wanting to think too hard on the situation. If she did, she would remember that phone call from Akashi, and then she'd start regretting listening to him and allowing Murasakibara to pull out without trying to convince him otherwise. Seijuuro's words still echoed in her mind sometimes- if she had spoken to Murasakibara, could it have been possible that he would have listened to her? That she would have been able to do what the others hadn't? She didn't believe that she had that sort of influence over Atsushi, but... Akashi was never wrong.

Could she have changed the way this had turned out?

"Since that's out of the way," Himuro's voice brought her back to reality, and she looked up to see him watching her with a concerned look in his eye. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Mikoto replied quickly.

"That's a lie." He raised an eyebrow knowingly, and Shirato couldn't help but feel like a kid that had been caught with their hand in a cookie jar.

"Just thinking about the match. Wish I could have done something more." When Himuro didn't back off, she sighed as she complied. "And... I also said some nasty things to Daiki. We're not exactly talking at the moment."

She wasn't eager to go into details regarding that little spat, and thankfully Himuro seemed to understand that. He nodded absently as he seemed to consider something, while Shirato continued to fidget with her wristband. She was already starting to feel awkward, and her rumbling stomach wasn't helping much, either...

"Well, let's try to put it all aside for now, alright?" Tatsuya finally spoke up, wearing a reassuring smile as he met her eye. "Just enjoy yourself today."

"Alr-"

Before Mikoto could reply, her stomach gave another loud growl that abruptly cut her off mid-sentence. This time, Himuro didn't bother trying to hold back his amused smirk, but Shirato was too busy clutching at her stomach and wishing she could get hit by a train to care.

"Maybe we should start by getting you some food." Tatsuya suggested, a hint of worry underlying his voice. Mikoto just nodded wordlessly without any complaint.

"Yoyogi Park shouldn't be too crowded around this time of the week." She coughed out, not wanting to make him miss out on any of the sights while fulfilling her own requirements. "There's a couple of food stalls around there, too."

"Alright then," Tatsuya complied easily, his smile turning a bit more secretive as he touched her shoulder, gently pushing her forth- he didn't really have to, but he just wanted an excuse to do so. "Let's go."

It was time to make the most of this date.

* * *

"You're not eating your pickles?" Tatsuya inquired as he noted the way Mikoto carefully pulled out said condiments from her hot dog, the girl shrugging as she responded to his comment. The two of them were seated at a table next to a food cart in Yoyogi Park, the position giving them a decent view of the goings-on around them. It was quite interesting to watch as people went about their activities- he'd even seen a terrier pup that had been dressed in a rhinestone suit, and its owner was just as intriguing a sight to behold as he walked around dressed in bold, bright colours. Even the fashion sense of some of the people here were incredibly unique- lacy dresses with frills, hair dyed in various shades and shaped into gravity-defying styles, leather jackets and piercings... it was all quite sophisticated for people just wandering around a recreational area. The culture of the people here were all so different compared to those in America, and he wondered if he would get used to it all.

"Nope." Shirato replied as she placed the pickles on the wax paper which had initially been wrapped around her snack before finally taking a bite of her breakfast. She took a moment to savour the taste of her first bite of food that day before she swallowed and answered, "Never really liked them."

"You do not know how to live." Tatsuya joked lightly, taking hold of one of the slices of preserved cucumber before popping it into his own mouth.

"Each to his own, I suppose." Mikoto murmured, her expression distant as she chewed thoughtfully on her breakfast.

Not even the slightest hint of a smile, Himuro noted as a small frown tugged the corners of his lips downwards. He remained silent for a moment as he watched the girl across from him staring out at the park grounds, her expression pensive as she slowly ate her hot dog. Her stance seemed to relax slightly as she breathed in deeply- she clearly enjoyed the clean, open air- but she didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. Whatever it was that had transpired between her and her cousin must still be affecting her...

Tatsuya racked his brain for something to say that would help ease the tension. He definitely couldn't ask her outright- that would probably only serve to make her clam up even more. He had to broach the subject indirectly, without actually saying the words, but how?

As he watched a street performer near the park fountain perform a juggling act for a group of kids, an idea clicked.

"Did you know that I can juggle?" He asked suddenly, and Shirato blinked at him in confusion for a moment as she refocused her attention on him.

"Uh, no." She sounded quizzical, as if questioning what had suddenly spurred him to share this little bit of information with her.

"It's actually quite simple." Himuro explained breezily, picking off the last of the pickles on the wax paper before balling it up into a vaguely spherical shape. Holding it in his right hand, he then continued, "The trick really lies in learning how to throw the item- say, a ball- that you're juggling correctly, so that it lands in your hand. Catching the ball becomes much easier once you've mastered that."

Mikoto blinked at him again, her expression blank as she continued to eat her hot dog. Clearly, she was perplexed as to why he was explaining the basics of juggling to her, but he wasn't deterred.

"You always start with one ball first, to get the hang of things." Tatsuya tossed the wad up and caught it again to demonstrate his point. "To begin the process, one hand has to throw it, while the other hand will follow suit and catch. You might fail to successfully catch it the first few times, and it will most definitely frustrate you to no end- you might even want to quit. That's why it's vital that you don't give up in order to achieve your goal. You have to keep trying to find a way to get it right."

As he said this, Tatsuya could practically see the realization dawning on Mikoto's face as she lowered what remained of her snack from her lips, her eyes sharpening slightly. Clearly, she'd caught on that he wasn't really talking about juggling.

"With enough time and practice, you'll eventually learn to throw the ball just enough to land it perfectly into your other palm. And then it'll be that hand's turn to throw the ball back." As he said this, Tatsuya threw the wad of paper into the air and caught it easily with his other hand, before throwing it back with precision as he repeated the cycle. "Everything becomes easier after that. Eventually, both hands learn to work together in perfect synchronization, with fewer slip ups than before, and soon you can move on to more advanced techniques."

As Himuro caught the ball in his right hand once again, he held it up and he shot Shirato a knowing smile as he concluded, "But it all starts with one hand making the first throw."

A brief silence followed after his little speech- Tatsuya had to admit, for something that he'd completely improvised on, it had come out a lot better than he'd expected- and Shirato looked uneasy while she avoided meeting his eye. She finished the last of her food quietly as she seemed to think over his words, and Tatsuya simply waited patiently for her to find her voice again.

"...It's easier said than done, Himuro-kun." Mikoto finally muttered as she brushed off the crumbs from her hands- she was just looking for a way to avoid looking at him.

"I know. Making the first move to forgive someone who hurt you is harder than any battle." Mikoto glanced up upon Himuro's response, unable to hide her surprise. His voice wasn't angry or filled with annoyance, but rather it was full of understanding and patience- as if he knew first-hand what that felt like. "I doubt even I would be able to do something like that."

"You could." Mikoto responded immediately, and this time Tatsuya was the one who looked at her in intrigue. Even though her answer was short, her words were firm and sure. "You're a lot stronger than I am, Himuro-kun."

Upon hearing that, Himuro's grip around the paper ball in his hand tightened slightly, before he released it just as suddenly. A wry chuckle sought its way to his lips as he placed the crumpled wad onto the table, shaking his head lightly at her words.

"Maybe I'm just ignoring the truth," He countered, presenting a hint of challenge with his response. "I might be weaker than you think."

"No, I don't think so." Though Mikoto's reply was quick and sure, her voice became more quiet as she continued, "Sometimes our struggles pull us down, and we get so caught up in them until we lose sight of ourselves... like I did."

The last part was almost a whisper- Himuro might not have caught it at all if he hadn't been watching her as she spoke. He wasn't sure he could agree with her words- was strength really something he possessed? Did she really believe that? It was almost as if she knew something he didn't, but she wouldn't meet his eye as she spoke- and for once, Himuro couldn't quite tell whether or not she was lying.

"I don't know for sure what it is you're struggling to face, Himuro-kun. But whatever it is... you're not letting it consume you. You're working to overcome it, even though you're not sure how successful you'll be." Shirato toyed with the strings on her bracelet idly, her expression detached. "You're brave. That's something I can only dream of being."

Brave. He'd been called many things in the past- cool, polite, gentle... but not brave. And he certainly never thought for a moment that he was. Even as a child, he'd simply changed himself to appear confident and strong in the eyes of others- he'd even taught himself how to fight in order to maintain that image; to prove that he was not someone to be brushed off as weak. He'd been forced to grow up, not just because of his own circumstances... but also for the sake of his 'little brother', Taiga. The boy had wanted someone to look up to, and Himuro had not been able to deny him that privilege. For that purpose, he left behind his childish ways completely to accommodate that role- something he'd done flawlessly. He hadn't exactly wanted such a huge responsibility, but he just couldn't have turned Taiga down, because he hadn't wanted to disappoint him. It wasn't bravery that had motivated him to do so- it was the lack if any other option. He had been too gentle as well, and that didn't make him any different from the girl before him.

He wasn't brave- he was simply too good at pretending. And for all their similarities beneath the surface, that was the one thing what truly made him different from Mikoto Shirato.

"...You're stronger than you think, Shirato-chan." Himuro spoke softly, slowly placing his hand over her own just as he had the last time they'd sat down and had an exchange like this. This time, he was glad to see that she didn't flinch at his touch- she simply looked up at him with those conflicted sapphire eyes that made him want to pull her close, if it would only ease her mind. "Don't give up just yet. It may take time to gather the courage to make the first move, but you will. I have faith in you."

Mikoto looked torn, and Tatsuya couldn't blame her. Being the adult in a situation and putting aside one's pride wasn't easy, and for someone as stubborn as her, it was a lot to ask. But she wasn't the same person he'd spoken to in the gym all those months ago, who had closed herself off and hidden herself from everything. She was stronger- she just had to see it.

And when a quiet laugh fell from Shirato's lips, Himuro knew he had gotten through to her. His only lament was that he wished he could take his own advice.

"I can't believe I just received a lecture that used juggling as a metaphor." Mikoto shot him a small grin- one that Tatsuya returned easily.

"If that was your way of saying 'thank you', then you're welcome." He responded briskly, though he didn't mean it seriously. Mikoto rolled her eyes at his pompous tone, but her smile didn't fade as she squeezed his hand back gratefully- Tatsuya tried to ignore the way his heart jumped when she did so.

"Thanks, Himuro-kun." Mikoto's expression became bashful as she thanked him, and she abruptly released his hand as quickly as she'd held it. He didn't show it, but her sudden retraction left Himuro somewhat disappointed. "That... really cheered me up."

"Good." Tatsuya nodded approvingly, before he suddenly stood from his seat as he smiled down at her. "Then we can go now."

"Where to?" Shirato asked, taken aback by his sudden move as she rose to her feet as well. Himuro just wore his mysterious, unreadable half smile as he looked back at her, though Mikoto swore she saw a playful spark in his visible eye. His reply however, was not what she had been expecting.

"Where's the nearest basketball court?"

* * *

Shirato wasn't sure whether to be worried or not as she lead Himuro towards the basketball court a couple blocks down from Yoyogi Park. The main court in the park they had previously been in hadn't suited his tastes- "too many people", he had claimed. Apparently he wanted a more private setting, and while Mikoto was knowledgeable enough about the courts in the surrounding area to easily pinpoint the one that would have the least chance of being occupied at this time in the morning, she still had no idea why he was so adamant about going to a basketball court, of all places. They were in Shibuya- places such as the Scramble Crossing, Hachiko's statue, and the Graffiti Mural Wall were all just a few blocks away, but he wanted to visit a regular street court first?

He had better not be planning anything inappropriate. She wouldn't hesitate to put the knuckle duster she'd gotten from Aomine several years back to good use.

"Here it is, then." Shirato announced as they reached the court she'd been leading him to- as expected, there was virtually no one there yet. Most people preferred to bag the higher-end courts closer to the premises of Yoyogi Park- this one was normally used as a last resort for those who had no other option, but it was still in decent condition.

"You know these streets pretty well." Himuro noted appraisingly as he strode onto the cement floor of the court, picking up the basketball lying off to the side. It was worn and dirty from being used so often, but it would do the trick.

"Daiki played a lot of streetball. He knows the courts around here like the back of his hand." Mikoto replied. "I picked up some of that knowledge through observation."

"You two ever got involved in a street fight?" Himuro asked jokingly as he bounced the ball against the floor of the court. He'd meant it in a non-serious manner, but Mikoto couldn't help but cringe as she remembered a few events she'd rather have forgotten. Tatsuya seemed to notice this, and his eyes widened slightly in astonishment. "You _have._"

"Just a couple of close calls. Nothing severe." Lies. She'd broken a guy's jaw once- sprained her wrist in the process, too- and had been grounded for a year. But Himuro didn't need to know that.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Tatsuya chuckled, and Mikoto had a feeling he saw right through her feeble lie. Thankfully, he didn't choose to pursue it as he changed the subject. "There's something I've been meaning to show you. I originally planned on having you see it in action on the court, but I think you could use a nice surprise right now."

That caught Shirato's attention, and she appeared nonplussed as she commented, "And here I was under the presumption that 'surprises' on dates normally involved flowers and other trifling trinkets."

"Aha." Himuro used his free hand- the one that wasn't dribbling the basketball- to point at her, a sly grin on his face. "So you do admit this is a date."

Crud. That was a slip of the tongue she was going to regret.

"Just get on with it." Shirato huffed as she folded her arms across her chest. Himuro just shrugged his shoulders in compliance, before he got to the point.

"You know how to block, right?"

"Sort of, I guess." Shirato responded cautiously. Did he want to play against her? Didn't he know just how badly she sucked at the sport?

"Don't worry, I'm not challenging you to a one-on-one." Tatsuya reassured, as if reading her thoughts. Instead, he lowered his body into his usual offensive stance, before issuing his next request. "Try blocking my two-pointer."

Mikoto, not in any position to refuse, heeded his requirement as she approached Himuro at a safe distance, falling into the same position as him. Her eyes narrowed as she watched his movements carefully, trying to predict his next move.

Tatsuya seemed to smirk slightly as he watched her- with her defensive posture and cautious eyes, she really did resemble her cousin. Though he'd said he just wanted her to block his shot, he deliberately faked to the left before scooting off to the right. When Mikoto intercepted him easily enough, he was pleasantly surprised- even when he was holding back his fakes weren't easy to see through, yet that was exactly what she'd done. She was sharper than he gave her credit for, but there was no way she would be able to stop his next move...

Mikoto braced herself to jump when she noticed Himuro falling into his shooting position- this was it; the so-called 'surprise' he had in mind. She didn't quite know what to expect as she timed her jump according to Tatsuya's, her hand reaching for the ball as she did so. Strange- it didn't seem any different from a usual two-pointer. She would easily be able to block it...

But then, much to her bewilderment, she missed the ball entirely.

_'Impossible!'_ Mikoto's eyes widened as she watched the ball soar through the air, landing perfectly into the basket without even touching the rim. Even as she landed on her feet, she just stared at the orange ball rolling on the ground, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. She'd had it- the ball had practically been in her grasp! But then, right when she thought she'd blocked it...

"It... went through." Mikoto stared at her hand in disbelief, before shifting her befuddled gaze towards the shooting guard. "How?"

Himuro seemed pleased at her response as his smirk grew wider, and he placed a finger over his lips as he replied coyly, "A magician never reveals his secrets."

"You're not a magician." Shirato shot back exasperatedly. "And I'm your manager, aren't I? Don't I get the privilege to know these things?"

"Fine, fine." Himuro complied with an exaggerated sigh- what a drama queen, Mikoto scoffed internally. He then went to retrieve the stray basketball, calling back over his shoulder, "But you have to promise not to tell anyone, alright?"

"Who would I tell? Toshi?"

"That dog is smarter than he looks."

"True." Shirato muttered, before she gave up reasoning with him and conceded. "Fine, I promise. Now will you tell me already?"

"So impatient." Himuro chuckled as he walked back towards the girl. He deliberately dribbled the ball as he walked along to slow his pace, watching in amusement as her expression grew even more exasperated. Deciding to spare her the frustration before she blew a fuse, he dove into his explanation immediately once he was standing before her again

"I throw it twice. Once above, and then again, before it reaches its peak height." He demonstrated the actions as he spoke, attempting to make the explanation easier for her to grasp. Her blue eyes were fixed intently on the ball in his hands, and he couldn't help but feel smug at how easily he had captured her attention- just as he'd planned. "When I do it smoothly enough, the first shot casts a shadow that hides the second one, creating the illusion that I'm making a normal shot."

"Like a mirage." Mikoto murmured, her eyes lighting up with realization. "The opponent jumps with the expectation of the first shot, when the actual shot comes later. In the event that they were to adjust their timing, you could easily switch to shooting the first throw as a fail-safe. That's ingenious!"

It was only after Shirato finished her excited conclusion that she finally noticed Himuro staring at her, his expression one of surprise mixed with amusement. In a feeble attempt at taking back her uncharacteristic enthusiasm, she turned her head away quickly, unsuccessfully holding back her blush. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine." Tatsuya reassured- Mikoto only blushed harder when she heard the contained laughter in his voice. "It's actually quite amusing to see you so eager to deduct everything. You really don't like being left out of the loop, huh?"

Shirato was going to respond to that with a defensive snap, but before she did her words fell short. There was something about this new move that he'd shown her- it wasn't one that she'd ever seen before, and it certainly wasn't a move she had ever considered possible. The finesse required to pull it off, coupled with the speed and accuracy one had to possess in order to accomplish it without giving the technique's secrets away...

"Just how long have you been working on this?" Mikoto asked, her voice awed as she considered all the detailed planning such a complicated move required. Tatsuya's expression grew thoughtful at that- clearly, it wasn't a move that he'd just thought up and mastered in a day... or even a year, for that matter.

"A lot longer than I can remember." Himuro confessed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I've spent years trying to get it right. All those hours of training, and I've only managed to perfect it now. Kind of sad, huh?"

"Not at all." Mikoto replied immediately. "It was all worth it. This is absolutely brilliant."

Himuro could only stare at her in surprise. Mikoto, realizing what she'd just said without second thought, immediately cleared her throat and developed a deep fascination with the floor as she added, "But you are aware that your special shot is kind of against the rules, right?"

"Technically speaking, as long as I'm not caught, it's not illegal." Himuro replied easily, his expression mischievous. Mikoto had to give a small smile at that- for all his noble, honourable ways, there was still a certain twist to his morals that- were he anyone else- should have made him completely untrustworthy.

But of course, regular norms did not apply to him.

"Innocent until proven guilty, huh?" Mikoto shook her head, a vaguely sardonic expression on her face. "I have to envy that you're skilled enough to pull it off. Here you are, pulling off all kinds of sophisticated, semi-illegal moves, while I can't even score a normal basket."

"Would you like to learn?"

"Hm?" Mikoto was startled by his sudden question. Judging from his nod, he was serious about it.

"Shooting a basket." Tatsuya clarified, holding the dull orange ball out to her. "Do you want to learn how?"

"I've tried learning before. I can't shoot to save my life." Mikoto waved her hands out in front of her, turning down his offer. "Besides, don't you want to look around?"

"We've got time." Himuro responded breezily, tossing the ball into her hands before she could protest. "Just give it a go- show me what you can do."

Frowning slightly, Mikoto contemplated her options for a long moment before walking onto the three-point line, deciding to do as she was asked. She already knew she was going to embarrass herself- that much was proven when Himuro started correcting her right before she could even attempt to shoot the ball.

"Your hands should be here, like this." He advised, imitating the action with his own hands so that she could properly get the hang of it. "That way you can push the ball into a bigger arc. Try it now."

Heeding his advice, Mikoto shifted into the usual shooting position, trying to evaluate the amount of power she had to put into her throw in order to land it into the basket. When she thought she'd gotten it right, she threw the ball from her hands and watched as the sphere swooped up in a high arc- right before it hit the backboard and bounced off the rim.

"Told you I suck." Mikoto commented dryly. She always put too much or too little power into her shots- she just never got it quite right.

"Maybe you should try a different method of learning, then." Himuro encouraged, his brow furrowed slightly in thought as he jogged over to pick up the stray ball. If she couldn't grasp the concept well enough, maybe all she needed was a more 'hands-on' approach.

As he passed the basketball back to her, Shirato accepted it graciously... and then she stiffened just as quickly when Tatsuya suddenly slipped his arms around her, placing his hands over her own as she held the ball in place. Himuro just kept his mind trained on being professional about teaching her the basics, trying ignore the way Shirato's muscles locked up defensively. It would seem that he wasn't the only one struggling to keep a straight face- red was creeping up Mikoto's neck to her ears; something that didn't escape the raven-haired boy's notice.

"Your eye should be trained on the path of the basket, not the ball." Tatsuya advised as he bent down to adjust his line of sight with that of Mikoto's, his face sidling rather close next to hers in the process. In all honesty, Himuro was surprised at how stable his voice was despite the close proximity. He then guided her hands to lift the ball into their field of vision, coinciding it with the basket as he did so. "Make sure you keep your wrists flexible, too. Estimate the distance with your fingers, and then when you've got it..." Still keeping his hands on Mikoto's, he brought the ball close to their faces, aimed, and then...

"Now." He urged, giving her the signal to shoot. Shirato did as she was told, following his suggestions as she threw the ball towards the basket... in which it successfully landed in.

Mikoto was bowled over. "I..."

"You did it." Himuro finished for her, feeling a swell of pride at helping her to score what was probably her very first basket.

"You did all the work, though." Mikoto muttered, though he could sense an underline of elation beneath her attempted indifference.

"It still counts. At least now you've got the gist of things."

"Yeah... Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Himuro responded, a small yet sincere smile on his face as he glanced back down at Mikoto. Despite her medium frame and short height, he was surprised to see that her stance was unexpectedly firm. She maintained a low centre of gravity, steady footing- he had a trained eye for these details, but to see such things in someone as deceptively harmless-looking as Shirato was something he hadn't anticipated. Her gymnastics training had probably contributed to her physical strength, but the experienced manner in which she held herself reminded him an awful lot of a fighter's bearing...

"Uh... Himuro-kun, you can let go now."

Tatsuya blinked in surprise as Mikoto's voice snapped him out of his musings. The girl's face seemed to be faintly flushed as she turned her head away, trying to appear unaffected. With a start, Himuro finally remembered that his arms were still around her as he grasped her hands, having not let go after helping her to shoot the ball earlier. Now that she wasn't holding the basketball anymore, the position they were in could easily be misinterpreted by any passerby as something that wasn't as platonic as basketball practice...

"Right." Himuro replied far too quickly, his voice a little tighter than usual. He then released her hands abruptly and backed off, eager to alleviate the sudden awkwardness of the situation- the last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Mikoto mumbled, though she still refused to look at him as she shuffled a few paces back as well. Right when they'd been making some progress, too... Himuro wanted to kick himself for zoning out at the worst possible time.

"You want to try it again on your own?" He asked lightly, hoping to alleviate the uneasiness of the situation.

"I think we should go check out some other places before the rush hour." Mikoto refused politely as she gestured to the exit, before she glanced shyly back up at him. "Thank you though- for... all of this."

It was rare that she would be at a loss for words, but Himuro didn't get to question her as she suddenly turned on her heel and walked along, prompting him to follow after her without protest. She was clearly eager to get out of there before another awkward moment arose, and while Himuro didn't blame her, it still kind of stung. He wasn't quite sure if this was a good or a bad sign...

Tatsuya trailed a ways behind Shirato as he let her lead the way, not wanting to cause her more apprehension by walking too close to her. As he watched her fidget with the braid she wore over her shoulder, he slowly lowered his eyes to his hands- they still tingled with the feeling of having her in his arms. Under different circumstances, the way he'd held her could easily have been considered a lover's embrace...

Making sure Mikoto wouldn't hear it, Tatsuya emitted a wistful sigh under his breath. Just his luck- barely an hour in, and this date was already turning out to be a lot more than he'd expected.

* * *

**AN: There will be more! I just needed to split the date into two chapters because it was too long to fit into one, haha. Hooray for another quick update and the beginning of Himuro's torture, at least? XD**

**Anyways- onto the credits! Thank you very, very much to The Inner Mind Of A Basilisk, Xxdreamergirl95xX, Forgetful Insanity, Guest** (Haha, well we all know that Himuro is one fine boy! And ah, about Akashi... I'm afraid not, my apologies. But it IS interesting to imagine xD** ), PhoenixRage92, Indirianna, ewaa, LincoeAlisson3298, Ana1231234 ( **Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy this story enough to comment on it. I really appreciate it ;D**), Bliss Autumn,** **amy1945****, lostinthefridge, VixenOfMeiraz, Multitules, and Zecrea for reviewing! I'm always happy to receive feedback from you guys. Thank you to everyone who added this story to your favourites and/ or follows, too! You guys make my day 8D**

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Do leave a comment if you have any questions or comments about the story- I love hearing from you guys (and it motivates me to write instead of lazing around, haha!). See you all next chapter!**


	18. Chapter 18

** Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

**AN: Yeahhh you all know the drill by now. I updated last week too, so do check out the last chapter if you guys haven't read it yet! In the meantime, enjoy!**

"For something that's usually considered vandalism, some of these are amazing works of art."

"Right?" Mikoto agreed with Himuro's assessment as they walked along the Udagawa Mural, admiring the stunning street art painted all over the wall. There weren't all that many people along this particular stretch, but that wasn't anything new- this particular place wasn't nearly as popular as some of the other places around Shibuya. "The colours, the precision... it's fascinating."

"You're a fan of the arts?" Himuro asked, looking over his shoulder to see the girl lingering several steps behind him as she observed a particularly prominent image on the wall.

"I wouldn't say that. But I can appreciate works of beauty when I see them."

"As can I." Himuro murmured, though he wasn't looking at the graffiti art as he said so. Thankfully, Mikoto was too preoccupied with admiring the artwork to notice her companion's appraising stare.

"Tilt your head down a bit more. More... there, perfect! Stay right there!"

The sound of voices coming from further down the length of the wall reached Tatsuya's ears, and the boy turned his head curiously to see what was going on. Walking some distance away from Shirato, he peered around the corner of the wall, his eyebrows raising as he beheld the scene before him. Unlike the rest of the wall, a section of the barricades preventing people from getting too close to the murals had been removed, and in its place was a rather peculiar layout. A couple of reflectors were set up around a rather fashionably dressed young man, who was posed against the Mural Wall as his eyes focused on the camera, his expression smouldering. There was even a temporary dressing table set up some distance away from the main set, equipped with a mirror and a couple of makeup artists lingering around the area. The voice Himuro had heard earlier had been coming from the photographer handling the shoot- an older woman who manoeuvred her camera expertly to capture all the right angles of her current subject.

"A photoshoot?" Himuro murmured curiously, glancing back at Shirato for clarification.

"This location is pretty popular for those." The girl replied absently, still a few steps behind as she took her time to admire the murals. Himuro just continued to stare at the setup, tilting his head as he made out some words printed on the back of a chair near the dressing table he had noticed earlier.

"Zunon Boy?" He read aloud, noticing how Mikoto froze up out of the corner of his eye. "That sounds familiar."

"It's one of the most popular magazines in town." Shirato replied calmly, but from the way she suddenly picked up her pace to walk up to him, Tatsuya could tell that something else about that brand had caught her attention.

"I was unaware that you followed these trends." He commented, watching as the girl's eyes widened when she caught sight of the set. Now he was absolutely positive that something was off...

"I don't, really." Mikoto admitted, though she didn't tear her eyes away from the location of the photoshoot. "But I know someone who does."

"Alright! Take five, everyone!" The photographer's voice commanded authoritatively as she lowered her camera, signalling for everyone to take a break. The people working on the set relaxed immediately, including the model who heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped away from the wall, removing his cap to reveal a head of blonde hair. Tatsuya's eyes narrowed slightly as he caught sight of the boy- he couldn't be older than he was, and he looked an awful lot like...

"Kise-san, you did great!" A makeup artist gushed as the blonde sank into his chair, allowing her to touch up some of his foundation.

"'Kise'?" Himuro's ears pricked at the familiar name. Said person was also smiling cheerily at his makeup artist as he thanked her, but to Tatsuya's keen eye... it looked somewhat forced, as if he were somewhat pained. "Of the Generation of Miracles?"

"Yeah. That's him." Mikoto confirmed, earning a look of concern from her companion. Tatsuya immediately noticed the way she seemed to inch ever so slightly behind him, her expression one of discomfort as she eyed the blonde cautiously.

"Do you want to leave?" Himuro inquired, and Shirato hesitated briefly before she attempted a reply.

"I-"

"Shirato-cchi?"

Too late. Both Shirato and Himuro turned around upon hearing the boyish, perplexed voice calling out to the girl, spotting Ryota Kise as he stood from his chair- the makeup artist from earlier having left his side. The boy's bronze eyes fixed on Mikoto with surprise as he took a few tentative steps forward, unsure if whether his assumption was correct. Shirato in turn began to look rather conflicted- her eyes darted from Kise to the road behind her, as if she were contemplating whether to run or to face her old schoolmate.

She chose the latter.

"Kise-kun." Mikoto finally responded as she nodded slowly, which prompted the blonde to beam excitedly as he quickly made his way towards them, ignoring the looks he drew from his colleagues. Tatsuya observed the lanky boy with a careful eye as Ryota walked right up to Mikoto, even leaning down to get a closer look at her face.

"It really is you!" Ryota enthused, his grin widening. "It's been a long time, Shirato-cchi! I didn't know you were back in town."

"I'm surprised to see you as well, Kise-kun." Mikoto replied, somewhat perturbed. She hadn't expected such a warm greeting from Ryota- the last time they'd spoken, he hadn't been quite this approachable and... real. "I'm here for the Interhigh. My team is competing."

"Oh." Kise's expression faltered slightly at the mention of the competition, but he quickly brushed it off as he continued, unfazed. "You're a manager now? I didn't know that."

"Actually I was sort of coerced into it." Shirato attempted a light joke, but it didn't quite have the desired effect. Her eyes unconsciously flickered to Kise's leg as she recalled the match against Kaijo- if Daiki, who was the strongest of them all, had been suffering from the aftereffects, then Kise would definitely be a lot worse off...

"Don't pull that kind of face." Ryota's words drew her attention back to him, and the blonde was shooting her a lighthearted smile in an attempt to comfort her. "It's getting better, so don't worry about it."

"Are you sure-"

"Why does everyone keep worrying about me, anyway? I'm telling you, I'm fine- I'll be better in no time!" Kise interrupted before she could finish her protest, waving off her concern. His expression then shifted into a more confident, determined one as he looked Mikoto in the eye with such integrity the girl was almost taken aback. "And next time, we'll beat Aomine-cchi- you'll see. We're not giving up just yet!"

'We', he'd said. Not 'I'. That small difference in wording was enough to render Mikoto speechless, never mind the fact that he'd almost read her mind by bringing up the topic of her cousin. She'd heard that Kuroko and his teammates had bested Kaijo earlier that year, but to think that it would have affected and even changed Kise to this extent...

Could the same be done for Daiki?

"Ah, sorry about that! Didn't mean to ignore your partner, Shirato-cchi." Kise suddenly piped up, and Mikoto blinked herself out of her stupor in time to see him extend a hand to Himuro. "I'm Ryota Kise. And you are?"

"Tatsuya Himuro." The ebony-haired boy replied graciously, shaking Kise's hand firmly as he returned the gesture. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you, too." Kise smiled politely as he released Himuro's hand, before his expression turned inquisitive. "Sorry for asking, Himuro-san, but are you a model too?"

As he was standing right next to her, Shirato could sense Himuro stiffen at the question, his reaction earning an inquisitive look from her. However, the boy seemed to retain his composure as he shook his head, one of his usual half-smiles playing on his lips. "I'm afraid not. It's not up my alley."

"Really?" Kise appeared disbelieving, his aureate eyes widening as he tilted his head and observed Tatsuya closely. "You really look like one, though. You've even got that beauty mark!" Here, Kise pouted in a vaguely childish fashion, eyeing said beauty mark enviously. "I wish I had one. You'd probably be a hit if you joined the industry."

"Thank you for the compliment." Himuro chuckled amiably, but Mikoto knew from experience that this wasn't one of his sincere laughs- this one was tense, somehow. "But I think I'll just stick to basketball."

"Oh, you play basketball, too?" Kise caught onto this new piece of information with eagerness, his eyes lighting up at the mention of the sport. Clearly, this topic was one he much preferred compared to that about modelling- it was no secret that Ryota had been fascinated with the sport after he'd realized his unique talents weren't able to make him the best at it, unlike everything else. But even so, this liveliness at the mention of basketball was still something that Mikoto hadn't seen in a long time, and she couldn't help but feel astounded at how much Ryota had changed since the last time she'd spoken to him personally.

"Is that how you two met, then?" Kise continued, gesturing between the two of them. Mikoto exchanged a look with Tatsuya, whose eyes glinted with amusement at the recollection of their first encounter- given the circumstances of their first exchange, it was a fair assumption to make.

"You could say that." Mikoto eventually shrugged, not willing to go into detail about how she'd basically been hounded into finally talking to Himuro after his non-stop pestering. Kise hummed and opened his mouth to reply... before his words fell short as his eyes suddenly latched onto the bracelet around her wrist. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before his smile turned a little melancholy, his tone equally wistful when he commented, "You still have that wristband? I'm surprised it hasn't worn away yet- that's some quality material."

"Oh. Yeah, it is." Mikoto replied unsurely, biting her lower lip as she glanced away. She couldn't quite stand to look Kise in the eye when he looked so pensive.

"I thought you'd thrown it away after..." Ryota trailed off, before he shook his head quickly and plastered on a smile, a half hearted chortle escaping his lips as he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, now I'm being a downer. Sorry, sorry!"

"It's-"

"Actually I'm surprised she's even talking to you after everything that's happened, if what I've heard is correct." Tatsuya suddenly spoke up, his tone solemn. His abrupt interjection drew a bewildered glance from both Mikoto and Ryota, and the hardness of his steel-grey eyes was enough to startle them both. "Even if it was in the past, I think you owe her a better apology than that."

"Himuro-kun!" Mikoto was taken aback by how direct he was being with his opinion, instinctively clutching his arm as a warning. She didn't want to create a scene, especially not with all of Kise's crew as witnesses- they were trying to be indifferent, but she could tell that the model's interaction with them had drawn a few curious looks. While her sudden contact earned Himuro's notice briefly- she even caught a flash of some indecipherable emotion in his eyes when he glanced back at her- he kept his attention on Ryota, unwilling to take back what he'd said.

"No, he's right." Kise admitted before Mikoto could berate Tatsuya, his voice heavy and his expression regretful. His agreement was a surprise in itself, but Mikoto was even more taken aback when he bowed before her, his head lowered respectfully. "I'm really sorry, Shirato-cchi. I... what we did was unacceptable."

For a few seconds, Mikoto wasn't sure how to respond. All she could do was stare at the young man before her wordlessly- this was something she'd never dared to hope for, something out of a dream at best. But no matter how many times she blinked, it was no lie- Ryota Kise was expressing regret for his actions. One of the Generation of Miracles, her old friends who had turned their backs on each other... was apologizing to her, for what he'd done. It didn't change the past, and it didn't undo all the damage they'd done. But in this moment, he seemed just like the boy who had joined in on surprising her on the roof of Teiko Middle School on her fifteenth birthday, without any trace of the arrogance and darkness that tainted him and the others later on.

That reflection of the spark he had regained, showing so clearly in this small action, was in itself greater than any apology he could have offered.

"...Thank you." Shirato finally managed to force the words that had stuck in her throat, her tone wavering slightly. A simple apology shouldn't have affected her that much, but it did. "That means a lot to me."

"So we're good, then?" Kise asked as he stood up straight once again, his grin returning to his face when Mikoto nodded and offered him a small smile in return. "That's a relief. Your boyfriend's a pretty scary guy despite his looks huh, Shirato-cchi?"

"He's not my boyfriend." Mikoto was quick to correct the blonde's false assumption, suddenly feeling her face grow unreasonably warm. Suddenly aware of the fact that she was still holding Himuro's arm, Shirato pulled her hand back hastily, as if her companion were infected some sort of disease.

Call it her imagination, but she thought she saw Tatsuya's face fall when she recoiled from him. However, she couldn't be quite sure, because right after that his expression smoothed out again.

"How cold of you, love." Himuro commented woefully, his brow furrowed theatrically as he frowned at her.

"Don't call me that." Shirato retorted in exasperation, knowing just what he was trying to do. "It's gross."

"If that's what you want, dearest." Tatsuya sighed, and Shirato could only glare at him indignantly. Before she could formulate a response, however...

"Ohhh." Kise wore a knowing expression on his face as he looked between the two, nodding thoughtfully as he placed a hand on his chin. "I see."

"See what?" Mikoto asked suspiciously. She really didn't like that tone he was using...

"Nothing." Kise replied far too innocently, though Mikoto could have sworn that she had seen a sly glint in his golden eyes before he put on a wide, closed-eyed smile.

Oh no. What was he planning-

"In any case, my break's just about over. I better head off now, Shirato-cchi!" All of a sudden, Kise had his arms around Mikoto's shoulders, causing her to jump in surprise when he pulled her in for a hug. "It was nice to run into you again!"

"Uh, yeah. You too...?" Mikoto replied unsurely, reaching up to awkwardly pat Kise's shoulder in response to his sudden embrace. Physical contact wasn't something she was comfortable with, and he knew it. So what was he trying to achieve by doing this?

If Mikoto had been able to turn around, she would have seen Ryota exchange a very smug look with a cautiously neutral Himuro.

"Call me the next time you're free, and we'll go out sometime, alright?" The blonde sang as he pulled back from Mikoto, still wearing that wide smirk on his face. "Like how we used to all the time back then~"

"I... guess?" Shirato was still befuddled as she blinked owlishly at Kise.

"We'll see each other soon, then!" Kise waved cheerfully at the two as he turned back towards the set, his blonde hair swaying in the light breeze that blew by. "See you, Shirato-cchi, Himuro-san!"

"See you." Mikoto waved back awkwardly as bioh she and Tatsuya stared after the model, herself still in confusion over what he'd just done. "That was weird..."

"You two seem to know each other well." Himuro pointed out casually. If it wasn't her imagination, Mikoto thought he sounded a little more stiff than usual...

"We're pretty well acquainted."

"I can tell."

No, definitely not her imagination. Tilting her head curiously at the ebony-haired boy, Mikoto was surprised to see him still staring rigidly after the blonde, as if willing his gaze to bore holes into the back of Kise's head. "Is something the matter?" She asked worriedly, afraid that she had missed some sort if exchange between the two that had kindled some sort of antagonism between them. It was odd- they seemed to be getting along just fine.

"No, it's nothing." Tatsuya finally glanced away, though he wouldn't meet Mikoto's eye as he turned towards the street. "Shall we go to that shrine you told me about?" He added quickly, not leaving any room for Mikoto to question his earlier actions. Though his avoidance of the subject discomfited Shirato, she still agreed with his statement- they still had other things to do and places to see.

"Oh, sure. Meiji Shrine is right this way, then." Mikoto nodded towards one of the junctions up ahead, leading the way back towards the main road. At first, things seemed to return back to normal, the tension from earlier fading away...

And then Shirato's heart froze when Himuro suddenly entwined his hand with hers.

"H-Himuro-kun?" Mikoto swivelled her head back towards him, her eyes widening in alarm as he began walking next to her as well.

"What is it?" He asked, blinking innocently at her. For once, Mikoto couldn't quite tell if it was genuine or fake- mostly because she could hear her heart pounding loudly in her chest, and it served well to distract her from noticing any minor details. "We'll be back on the main street soon. I just want to make sure we don't lose each other in the crowd."

"Uhm... o-okay." Shirato managed to stutter out before she looked back at the path in front of her, suddenly unable to look Himuro in the eye. His reasoning seemed to make sense, but at the same time... was it just her, or did it suddenly get a lot warmer?

In the meantime, a subtle, satisfied smile rested on Tatsuya's lips as he strode alongside Shirato, trying not to feel too pleased with himself. Kise may have gotten a hug, but _he_ got to hold her hand.

Take that, Blondie.

...

As the duo walked away from the Mural Wall, Kise wore a victorious smirk on his face as he watched them leave with their hands locked together- excellent. His little push had worked.

No one ever said it was a crime to help speed things up a little.

* * *

When Himuro got his first glimpse of Meiji Shrine, he understood straight away why it was such a popular tourist destination in Tokyo. It was located in a tranquil, forested area amidst the busy city- providing a welcome break from the densely built-up surroundings. Even the majestic torii at the entrance was enough to impress Tatsuya- he'd never seen one that huge before- and the main buildings of the shrine were even more grand. There were quite a few visitors at the shrine- tourists as well as devout Shintoists who had come to make their prayers and offerings. When Mikoto offered to accompany him to follow through with some of the activities as well, he accepted her help gratefully- despite his family being practitioners of Shintoism, Himuro was rather unfamiliar with some of the customs due to his upbringing. Hence, Shirato's guidance through some of the rituals were greatly appreciated- he would be lying if he said he didn't feign ignorance at certain points just to get her to assist him, though.

"Do you want to get an ema?" Tatsuya inquired as the two walked around the vast grounds of the shrine. The wall upon which the wooden plaques were usually hung seemed a little bare that day, and there seemed to be a pretty good supply being sold just next to it. Mikoto shook her head.

"No, thank you. I've never really believed in those." She replied, earning a skeptical look from her friend.

"You don't believe in wishes, but you're still familiar with religious customs?"

"Those are practices. This is different."

"Not really." Himuro disagreed, before he added quickly, "Either way, there's no harm in believing. What do you have to lose?"

Shirato couldn't answer that. Her eyes travelled to the ground again as she kicked at a loose pebble in the ground, feeling rather sheepish. She didn't want to get her hopes up on something that she doubted would even work, but he still had a point...

"I'll go get one for you." Himuro concluded, heading towards the man selling the blank ema before she could protest. Mikoto considered calling out to him, but she stopped herself- there was no way he was going to halt now, he was too stubborn not to believe that she didn't really want one.

And admittedly... she kind of did.

The girl placed her hands in her pockets and looked around idly, observing her surroundings and the people walking by as she waited for Himuro to return. She'd always liked this place when it wasn't too crowded- it was a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city, and she always did like being closer to nature than the huge metal and concrete buildings. However, when her gaze landed upon one particular figure nearby, she froze. The young man looked to be about her age, with short, coal-black hair parted to the left. His smoky grey eyes were focused on one of the statues nearby, thus he was completely unaware of Mikoto's stupefied stare until she dared to call out...

"Nijimura-kun?"

The boy blinked upon being called, looking around to locate the person who had called him. When his eyes met Mikoto's sapphire ones just a few feet away, Shuuzo Nijimura's expression shifted into the same surprised one she was wearing.

"Shirato?" He seemed unsure for a moment, approaching her quickly with long strides as he blinked down at his old classmate. Eventually, his expression turned into one of recognition, and he was quick to ask, "Aren't you supposed to be in Akita?"

Mikoto cracked a polite smile at that- she was surprised he remembered where she'd moved after graduation. She had actually been on pretty good terms with Nijimura back in middle school- he had been her assignment partner as well as her senior in karate class, and he'd even been decent enough to let her hang around during basketball practice despite her not being on the club itself. "Aren't _you_ supposed to be in America?"

"I'm back for a visit with my family." He replied easily, his lips curving into a smile. His reply earned a look of surprise from Shirato, however- she had assumed his father would have been too sick to travel... "What's your excuse?"

"The Interhigh is being held here this year." The brunette replied, not wanting to ask for any details lest his reply be anything less than happy. Nijimura didn't ask her to clarify any further, though he did raise an eyebrow at the implication that she was on her high school's basketball team.

"I assume you're staying at your cousin's place, then?" He asked casually, and Mikoto winced internally at the mention of Daiki. However, Nijimura continued obliviously, "How're Aomine and the others, by the way? I heard that they all did pretty well after I left."

"Well, they definitely made a name for themselves."

"'Generation of Miracles', right?" Nijimura scoffed as he quoted the name. "Pretentious, but accurate."

"Definitely pretentious." Shirato agreed, her widening faintly. It was good to see she wasn't the only one who thought that way- it was even better that it was Nijimura who thought so, even though he did seem proud of his successors.

If he knew just how badly things had gone after he'd left, she doubted he would be quite so pleased.

"You here by yourself?" Shuuzo then asked, and Mikoto was promptly reminded of the boy she had arrived here with.

"Actually..." She turned around to see if she could spot Himuro- only to see the boy standing just a few steps away from her, his single visible eye wide with shock as he stared at the boy next to her.

"Shuu?" Himuro looked as though he couldn't believe his eyes, and Nijimura looked equally astonished.

"Tatsuya?" He exclaimed, his eyes darting between the boy and Shirato. Himuro did the same, before the two males turned towards Mikoto.

"You know this guy?" They asked simultaneously, pointing at each other at the same time. Shirato found herself in quite the puzzle.

"Uh, yeah." She nodded slowly, gesturing to Shuuzo first as she said, "Old schoolmate," And then she pointed at Tatsuya. "Current schoolmate."

Thankfully, that awkward response seemed to satisfy the two boys, who lowered their hands as they looked back at each other. In all frankness, Shirato thought she was the one who should be confused at the moment- how on earth did these two know each other?

"Talk about coincidence." Nijimura muttered, though he seemed rather pleased to encounter his old acquaintance thanks to this odd twist of fate. "Never expected to see you here, Tatsuya."

"How have you been, Shuu?" Himuro smiled as he raised his hand for a high-five- a gesture that Nijimura returned willingly. "I haven't seen you since the warehouse incident back in L.A."

"Been a while since then, huh?" A wry laugh escaped Shuuzo's lips at that inside joke. "It's been good. My father's responding well to the treatment. He's even feeling good enough to visit Japan for a while- so, here I am."

"Really? That's great!" Himuro seemed genuinely relieved to hear this piece of information, and Mikoto shared the sentiment. Nijimura's dad was an important figure in the boy's life- enough that he had willingly given up his position as captain just to spend more time with him. Mikoto still remembered the days back in Teiko when she'd catch Shuuzo glancing worriedly at his phone under the desk every few seconds, or the dark circles under his eyes that wouldn't go away after countless sleepless nights. To hear that those rough times may be coming to an end for him was one of the best news she'd received thus far.

"It is." Shuuzo nodded, not trying to hide his own repose. His tone them became accusing as he added, "I heard from your coach that you moved back here. Didn't even bother to say goodbye to an old friend?"

"Sorry. Things were pretty hectic with all the plans for moving."

"I'm just messing with you." Shuuzo gave a bark of laughter at Himuro's suddenly uncomfortable expression, lightly pushing his shoulder in a friendly manner. "You know, we never did get to play that match you promised."

"I'd offer to fulfil it, but..." Here, Tatsuya nodded towards Mikoto before shooting Shuuzo an apologetic smile. "I have other matters to attend to at the moment."

Nijimura raised his eyebrows again at his words, and when he lowered his gaze back to Shirato, the girl could have sworn there was a change in the way he was scrutinizing her now compared to before. "Really, now." He murmured. "I didn't think he was your type, Shirato."

"He's just a friend." Mikoto sighed, feeling somewhat tired of people assuming that both Tatsuya and her were a couple. Couldn't a girl have a guy friend without having assumptions being made about the nature of their relationship right off the bat?

"Huh." Nijimura shifted his gaze back to Himuro, his expression skeptical as he commented in English, "_Is that an opinion you both agree on, Tatsuya?_"

"_What do you think?_"

"_Hello, I can speak English too._" Shirato interjected, her poor annunciation and thick accent making her words sound disjointed compared to the fluent manner in which the other two males were conversing. She couldn't help but feel a little miffed- since when did Shuuzo get better at English than her? She couldn't quite understand some of the words they'd used, either... Inferiority really was something she disliked.

"Of course, of course. We'll stop teasing." Nijimura chuckled good-naturedly, before a glint appeared in his eye as he asked, "So, Shirato. You still keeping your karate skills in shape?"

Oh crud. Mikoto's expression faltered at the question, and she suddenly felt a lot less confident than before when Nijimura's eyes narrowed in displeasure at her reaction. "Uhm..."

"You stopped training?" He inquired sternly, and Shirato had to force herself not to duck behind Himuro to use him as a shield from Nijimura's darkening aura- the boy in question looked rather curious about the conversation, too.

"T-there was a lot of other stuff to handle after I moved." She stuttered out, circling her hand in a senseless gesture as she tried to appease her old karate mentor. "And I wasn't sure if I really wanted to join a new class when-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Nijimura moved. Almost instinctively, Mikoto ducked as his fist missed her by a mere few inches, her left hand automatically catching his wrist and her right palm bracing itself against his elbow as she righted herself outside of his range- thankfully, she managed stop herself from potentially harming him. Shirato could only stare at Shuuzo in complete shock at his brash actions while the boy simply gave a satisfied hum in response.

"Well, your reflexes are still fast enough." He deduced as Mikoto pried her hands from his arm, sounding far too nonchalant for the girl's liking. "That's still acceptable. Should have tried to use my momentum against me first, though."

"You can't just go around throwing punches like that in public!" Mikoto hissed at him, her irritation growing. If this was done in their old dojo his actions could still be counted as acceptable, but this was in broad daylight!

"No one's really paying attention to what we're doing." Shuuzo replied calmly, causing Mikoto's eye to twitch in annoyance. It looked like some of his impulsive mannerisms still hadn't completely faded- old habits really did die hard...

"_Don't look so surprised, Tatsuya. I wasn't really going to hurt her._" Nijimura suddenly said, once again switching to English as he looked back at Himuro. The boy hadn't moved from his earlier position, but Shirato noted with intrigue that his stance had shifted- his knees were bent slightly, and his fists were clenched as if he were bracing himself for an attack. Mikoto couldn't help but feel both impressed and perplexed at this observation- impressed because of how prepared he seemed, and perplexed because that kind of readiness could only come from experience.

And if his reasoning was anything like she knew Nijimura's was, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the full details.

"_If you had, I might have been tempted to return the favour, Shuu._" Himuro replied, slowly straightening himself from his defensive position. Despite his light tone, his expression was unusually serious as he met Nijimura's eye again. "_I wouldn't try that again if I were you_."

"_As I expected._" Nijimura responded, a smirk playing on his lips. "_You know, you're really not as difficult to read as you think you are._"

"_I'm still here, you know._" Shirato had to interrupt again, her frustration acting up when she found that she could- once again- only understand bits and pieces of what the two boys were saying.

"It's nothing you need to be worried about, Shirato." Nijimura assured as he waved off her remark- much to Mikoto's displeasure. Before she could demand a translation however, the boy glanced at his watch and commented, "Anyway, I'd best be headed back now. Don't want my folks to worry."

"You're leaving already?"

"Yeah. I promised my mom I'd be back by lunch." Nijimura shrugged in response to Mikoto's question, before he turned towards Himuro and offered his hand to him. "See you around, Tatsuya. I expect you to come through on your promise someday."

"Count on it." Himuro nodded, shaking Nijimura's hand firmly to seal the deal. A man's word was his honour, after all.

"Shirato," Shuuzo then turned to the brunette, bowing before the girl in a more traditional manner. "It was nice seeing you again. Don't let your skills go rusty, alright? I didn't spend all that time training a rookie just for you to waste them in the end."

"I'm not a rookie anymore." Mikoto muttered, though she returned Nijimura's bow evenly.

"You'll always be one in my eyes, rookie." Nijimura repeated just to irk her, smirking when Mikoto's eye twitched again- typical. Turning on his heel, the boy waved his hand as he looked over his shoulder, bidding them goodbye. "Well, catch you two some other time."

"See you." Mikoto waved back at her old friend, Himuro doing the same. The two of them then waited until Nijimura was out of hearing range before Tatsuya finally spoke up.

"So," He began off-handedly. "You and Shuu, huh?"

"We were classmates since our first year, and before that he was my senior in karate class. I asked him to help me get better at karate, so he did." Mikoto sighed- she could still feel the lingering ache from getting owned by Nijimura during practice if she focused hard enough. It was a painful way of learning, but the experience proved to be valuable. "He even let me help out with the the back when he was Teiko's captain. He's a good guy- but you obviously know that already."

"He was the captain of your old team?" Himuro questioned, his expression turning curious at this new insight.

"Before Akashi-kun, yes."

"Never would've guessed." He mused aloud, before he suddenly blinked as though remembering something. "Anyway, I got your ema for you." He announced, drawing the wooden plaque out of his hoodie's pocket.

"How much did it-" But before Mikoto could reach into her pocket to take out her wallet, Himuro stopped her from doing so by raising a hand in protest.

"Now, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you pay me back?" He asked rhetorically, pushing the ema into her hands gently, but firmly. "Just let me take this one, Shirato-chan."

His tone told her that no matter how much she tried to insist, he wouldn't change his mind about this. So instead, Mikoto caved in without even trying to protest again, accepting the ema from him with a small smile. "Thanks."

"It's not a big deal." Himuro replied, returning the smile she offered with one of his own. Mikoto withdrew a pen which she kept in her bag before she proceeded to stare at the the blank ema for a long time, contemplating what to write. There was a lot going on in her life right now- it was difficult to decide which conflict she wanted to leave in the hands of fate, if it would actually help at all. Midorima probably would have smacked her upside her head with his lucky item- Oha Asa had declared that today's lucky item for Cancers was a volleyball, thus it would definitely hurt- if he knew of the skeptical thoughts going through her head. Then again, she didn't exactly have the best experiences when it came to wishes coming true...

Eh, she might as well go for it. After all, there was a particular incident that had been bothering her for a while now, that she couldn't really do much about. If this would help, then so be it.

Eventually, Mikoto made up her mind as she scrawled her wish onto the plaque- it took a couple of tries before the ink decided to stick to the surface of the ema, but it worked- in her neat handwriting, pausing only to contemplate if she'd written the right kanji for the name of the subject of her wish. Once that was done, she walked over to the wall of ema nearby, Himuro trailing not too far behind her as she hung her plaque on the wall.

"What did you wish for?" Tatsuya questioned in a polite yet curious tone. Mikoto didn't see a reason to hide it from him, so dhe answered willingly.

"Seirin's Teppei Kiyoshi suffered a severe knee injury during the Interhigh last year." Mikoto replied, and she didn't miss how he blinked in surprise at her response. "From what I know, he was sent to rehab to recondition his leg, but the possibility of a full recovery..." A sigh left Shirato's lips as she crossed her arms, her lips pressing into a thin line as she stared at her newly-hung plaque. "It's not much, but I figure he needs all the prayers he can get."

Again, Himuro blinked at her unexpected response. She could imagine what he was probably thinking- she could have have wished for anything, but she'd used it on someone who probably wouldn't even recognize her face. Out of all the wishes she could have made- a reconciliation with her cousin, victory for her team the following day, better grades- she had chosen one that didn't even relate to her at all. He probably thought she'd made a ridiculous decision- maybe she shouldn't have told him, after all...

"That's really nice of you." Himuro commented quietly, and this time it was Mikoto's turn to be surprised at his answer. He appeared contemplative as he stared thoughtfully at her ema, his voice barely above a whisper as he continued, "You're a lot more considerate than I assumed."

Mikoto emitted a nervous laugh at his choice of words. "I think the word is 'silly'. I probably should have wished for our victory at the Winter Cup or something..."

"It's not silly." Himuro corrected quickly, his firm tone earning him a curious look from Shirato. He rubbed his neck as he seemed to search for the words to say, eventually muttering, "It's just... not something I would have done."

"We're all different. There's nothing wrong with that." Mikoto commented sagely. She wasn't quite sure just what effect her words had on Himuro, because he suddenly fell silent as he stared at her for a long moment, which resulted in Mikoto curling and uncurling her braid around her finger repeatedly as she averted her gaze and pretended not to notice. Geez, anyone would think she was some sort of alien species from the way he was staring- it wasn't like she'd said something in Latin or anything...

"All these months of interaction, and you still manage to surprise me." Tatsuya suddenly laughed quietly, finally averting his eyes as he did so. "You really are a strange one, Shirato-chan."

"Hey-"

"I mean that in the best way possible." Himuro cut off her indignant reply, shooting her a smile laced with amusement. For some reason or other, Mikoto felt her face begin to flush at his words- that was supposed to be a compliment, right? Either way, she tried- somewhat unsuccessfully- to smother her blush, clearing her throat as she attempted to change the subject.

"On another note," She began nonchalantly, "What was this 'warehouse incident' you mentioned to Nijimura-kun?"

This time, Himuro's chuckle seemed a little bit strained, and it came just a second too late. Whatever it was about, the subject clearly wasn't something he was too fond of discussing.

"It's a long story." He attempted to throw her off his case, but she wasn't having it.

"I have time for long stories." Shirato responded easily, and Himuro shot her a withering look. However, she wasn't about to let the subject slide off just like that, and Tatsuya seemed to sense this as he sighed.

"Alright. I'll tell you." He agreed, but before Mikoto could pat herself on the back for winning this one, he added, "On one condition."

After her last terrible experience at gambling with Himuro, Shirato should have known better than to agree so easily. If she did, there would definitely be hell to pay for it. She was sharp, observant, and intelligent enough to know even this basic rule of self-preservation...

"What condition?"

But at times, she could also be just as dimwitted as her cousin occasionally was.

"We have to do something I'd like to now." Himuro answered, somehow managing to sound pleased with himself despite how level his voice was.

"Sure." Mikoto nodded, unwittingly signing her own death warrant by being too blind to see anything wrong with that suggestion. "Why not?"

* * *

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"I just can't, alright?"

"It's just karaoke." Himuro repeated for what had to be the fifth time since he'd first handed Mikoto the remote to the karaoke machine. Given that she'd all but glued her feet to the pavement when she realized where he was leading her and that he'd practically shoved her into the karaoke box they were currently in, he wasn't going to let all his efforts go to waste. "Come on, no one can hear you anyway."

"Which means I could strangle you in here and no one would know." Mikoto threatened darkly as she gripped the microphone in her hand tightly- Himuro guessed that she was imagining his throat in her hands instead of the mic.

"That's what the security cameras are for, Shirato-chan." He replied easily, gesturing to the security camera in the corner of the small room. Mikoto could only scowl at him- he was right, and she knew it.

"I hate you."

"You're welcome." He replied breezily, leaning back against his seat with a smirk. Shirato glared at him for a moment longe, before her expression suddenly turned neutral.

Uh oh. He didn't like that sudden gleam in her eye.

Himuro watched with intrigue as Mikoto scrolled through the selection of English songs on the screen, his curiosity piqued. He'd expected her to go for a song normally sung in her mother tongue, so this was...

_'No way.'_

Himuro's eyes widened when Mikoto landed on a particular band whose name he recognized all too well- a rock band, at that. There was no way she was going to...

_Click._

She_ did._

"Shirato-chan, you..." Himuro's eyes were wide as he looked at her in disbelief.

"I warned you." Mikoto shrugged, before the music blared from the speakers loudly and prompted her to sing along to the lyrics on screen.

Oh god. Himuro couldn't help but wince- though Mikoto's pronunciation was still pretty good for someone whose mother tongue was Japanese... she wasn't kidding when she said she couldn't sing. He didn't know if she was tone deaf as she practically yelled the lyrics, or...

Mikoto shot him another glance out of the corner of her eye for a moment, a smirk growing on her lips as she observed his evident discomfort. And that was when Himuro knew- this was her idea of revenge, wasn't it?

He would be a lot more impressed by her subtle deviousness if his eardrums weren't reverberating painfully, as though someone were beating them continuously like gongs. Himuro slumped a little as he sunk deeper into his seat, as if he could protect himself from the onslaught of off-key singing- screaming, more like. He honestly didn't mind this song, but right now he just couldn't wait for it to be over...

Once the final verse of the song was sung- after what felt like hours of agony instead of a few minutes- Himuro couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief under his breath. He shook his head a few times to stop the ringing in his skull- he was surprised he'd managed to sit through that. He gave himself a mental pat on the back- his self-control exceeded his own expectations, sometimes.

"Still want me to sing now?" Shirato asked casually, her breathing heavy from all the singing she'd done.

"How's about we go for a more... tame song, next." Himuro suggested slowly, a tentative expression on his face as he added, "And maybe you could stop trying to make my ears bleed on purpose? Please?"

Mikoto sniffed, but Tatsuya could almost feel the waves of satisfaction rolling off of her. "Only because you said please."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He asked, the question only half sarcastic as he raised a brow at her. Mikoto just laughed in response- a sincere one, occasional snorts and all- and Tatsuya had to glance away briefly to hide the smile that played on his lips. Her laugh wasn't exactly sophisticated, nor did it fit her proper image, but he actually kind of liked it. It made her seem less refined than she tried to make herself out to be, and he was actually rather happy that she would be willing to show this imperfect, human side of her around him...

But first, he had to make one thing clear.

"Shirato-chan, I'm choosing the songs from now on."

"Killjoy."

* * *

After a few more songs- during which Himuro proudly proved himself much more affluent at the art of vocal control than Shirato- the two teens left the karaoke box to tour the city a little more. They stopped by the Scramble Crossing to watch as thousands of people rushed to go about their duties, both of them agreeing that it was a relief that the crowds in Akita weren't as hectic as this. They even took to wandering around some of the local shops, though neither of them purchased anything for fear of burning a hole in their wallet. However, Himuro did ask at one point if Shirato thought one of the lolita dresses in the window of a shop along Harajuku would look good on him, to which she responded by shooting him a look that clearly spoke levels about what she thought of his seemingly dwindling intellect.

All in all, they managed to get quite a bit of sightseeing done before sunset, which was when Mikoto had to be back home before her aunt and uncle started to worry. Himuro took it upon himself to walk Mikoto back to home before he returned to his hotel, but they were only halfway to the house when Mikoto told him she would be fine from there.

"You sure about that?" Himuro asked, not feeling quite comfortable with the idea of letting her walk back on her own when nightfall wasn't too far behind.

"The house is just around the corner, Himuro-kun. I'll be fine." Mikoto assured, gesturing to the housing estate not too far ahead. "Thank you for the day out."

"And thank you for showing me around." He replied politely, his expression turning gentle as he reminded her, "Remember what I said at the park, alright? It's worth a shot."

"I will." Mikoto affirmed, a soft smile on her face as she bowed her head. "Good night, Himuro-kun. See you tomorrow."

With that, Shirato gave him one last wave before she headed towards her current residence, leaving Himuro watching after her a while longer to make sure she got safely into the residential compound. Even though she already was too far away to hear it, Tatsuya still found himself smiling as he murmured...

"...I look forward to it."

* * *

By the time Mikoto reached the top of the stairs that lead to the entrance of her aunt and uncle's house, she was startled when the front door opened before she could even knock. Daiki was standing in the doorway, his expression flat as he leaned against the wooden frame of the main doors. He didn't look surprised to see her- had he seen her ascending the stairs? The only way he could have done that is if he had been waiting by the window in the living room...

"Sure took your ti-"

"I'm sorry." Mikoto interrupted quickly, her words coming out in a torrent before she could stop herself. "I didn't mean to say what I did. I was upset, and I just said whatever came to mind. I never intended to hurt you."

Here, she paused for a moment as she steeled herself, meeting his astonished blue eyes as she sheepishly admitted, "I... I was wrong."

For a few heart-stoppingly tense seconds, Aomine didn't reply. The silence became almost awkward as Mikoto slowly shifted her gaze, unable to meet meet his eye as she realized the abruptness of her sudden apology. He was probably wondering if she'd hit her head on the pavement or something due to how random her outburst had been...

"Get your ass inside." Daiki finally sighed gruffly, moving aside as he made space for Mikoto to walk through the door. "Mom would have freaked out if she found out you left without eating breakfast. You owe me one."

Shirato was faintly taken aback at that- he had covered for her rushed exit that morning? Still somewhat nonplussed, the girl absently walked past Aomine as she headed for the staircase, intending to head straight for her room- she could hear her aunt busying herself in the kitchen already, so she might as well clean up before it was time for dinner. If she was honest with herself, she was kind of upset that Daiki didn't respond to her expression of regret..

"Hey, Miko."

The girl halted her steps upon being called, looking back over her shoulder to see that Aomine had just closed the door. Despite having spoken up, he hadn't turned to face her. "What is it?" Shirato asked.

"Mom wants me to take you out tonight." He replied, still not looking at her as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "There's this place downtown- Italian. You'd probably like it."

This time, Mikoto couldn't hide her bewilderment as she stared at the back of her cousin's head, unsure if she was hearing right. Had Aunt Shiori really noticed the estrangement between her and Daiki to the point where she had decided to intervene? Or... was this offer being made of his own volition, wherein he was simply using this as an excuse for his own actions?

"What's the price range?" Shirato asked, still a little wary.

"You think I'd eat there if it was pricey?" Aomine retorted, sounding more snappish than before.

That confirmed it- her aunt had no hand in this. Daiki only acted this defensive when he wasn't sure if something he'd said or done was about to blow up in his face.

"No, but you might mooch off my own cash." Mikoto responded, earning a glower from him as he finally looked back at her.

"That was one time, Miko."

"I was broke for a month, Daiki."

"Hmph." He eventually settled on keeping his mouth shut, averting his eyes briefly before glancing back at her again. His brow furrowed as he asked, "...What's with that smile?"

"Nothing." Mikoto replied, turning around and continuing on her way as she hid her relieved grin from sight. "I'll go change, then."

"There's something else." Daiki suddenly added when she was halfway up the stairs. This time, he didn't look away when she met his eye quizzically. "Check your desk drawer."

Though she was taken by surprise yet again Mikoto simply nodded wordlessly, feeling confused yet curious at what he was implying. Unconsciously, she picked up her pace to reach her room, opening the door and tossing her bag onto the bed without taking her eyes off the writing desk against the wall. She reached for the drawer on the left side of the desk, pulling it open with an eagerness she hadn't quite expected. Inside the drawer was a small box, with a small note taped to the top. The familiar handwriting was just as messy as she remembered it to be...

_'Sorry it's late. Happy birthday, Miko.'  
_

And here she'd thought he hadn't bothered to get her a present. The only thing she'd received from Aomine on her birthday two weeks ago was a simple phone call, and she'd assumed that was the end of it. Yet as she opened up the tiny box with the crudely written note, Mikoto couldn't stop herself from smiling. It was a small and simple gift, yet it meant the world to her- especially after they'd finally made up for the quarrel they'd had. And as she attached her newly acquired bronze basketball charm to the straps of her wristband, she recalled Himuro's advice once again. Given this sudden change of events, Shirato had to wonder if it really had been her or Daiki who had made the first move...

But she decided it didn't matter. For once, she was glad that she had been wrong.

* * *

The buzzer announced the end of Yosen's match against Onita High that Friday, concluding with the score in Yosen's favour. With this victory, the title of third place in the annual Interhigh was given to Yosen High's Basketball Team. Despite not obtaining the title of champion this year, the team accepted their achievement with pride, their heads held high as they were crowned as one of the best teams in the nation- it may not have been the highest achievement, but it was still a feat to be proud of, and Kenichi Okamura made sure his teammates knew it.

"We did great out there- all of you!" The captain praised them all proudly as they gathered outside the stadium, his voice loud and clear as he addressed them all. "We may not be bringing back the win, but you should all be proud of what we've achieved today. Next time, we're kicking ass, alright?!"

As he said this, Mikoto didn't miss the grin he shot her, as well. And with that, Mikoto allowed herself to smile back as she responded in unison with the team-_ her_ team.

_"Yes!"_

* * *

"No."

"Come on, Shirato- we're already here, so you might as well." Fukui rolled his eyes as he shoved the microphone into Mikoto's hands, not allowing her to have any say in the situation. The basketball team had all decided to celebrate winning third place in the Interhigh by going to a karaoke box after dinner. Needless to say, Mikoto wasn't impressed.

"Did he put you up to this?" She asked as she jabbed a finger in Himuro's direction accusingly with her free hand.

"No. Why?"

"Never mind." Shirato quickly amended, before she grabbed the remote and turned towards the screen. "Just don't blame me for any damage to your auditory senses."

"Yo Murasakibara, you too." Okamura piped up as he passed another mic to Atsushi, who looked rather unimpressed himself. "Choose a song."

"Do I have to?" Murasakibara asked, his voice sounding almost whiny at the suggestion. When none of his teammates budged, he complied with a huff. "Fine."

As Murasakibara walked up to her as she scrolled through the songs, Mikoto raised an eyebrow at him. She was actually surprised that he complied without making too much of a fuss, but she didn't pry any further. "Can you sing, Murasakibara-kun?" She asked quietly, just loud enough so that only he could hear the question.

"Not really." He mumbled as he chewed on a couple of gummies he'd managed to sneak into the room. Mikoto just nodded, content with his answer.

"Good. Then this will work."

"...Shira-chin, why are you smirking?"

*~.*.~*

"Himuro, what are you doing?" Liu asked as he noticed the boy sitting next to him pull out something from his pocket.

"You'll see." Himuro reassured calmly as he adjusted his earplugs, leaning back into his seat with a relaxed demeanour as he awaited the chaos that would unfold. Shirato and Murasakibara seemed to have come to a decision on which song to play- now it was just a matter of time. In three, two, one...

* * *

That night, a silent oath was made among the members of the Yosen basketball team- even if their lives depended upon it, they would never allow neither Murasakibara nor Shirato to be within a fifty kilometre radius of a karaoke machine. Ever.

* * *

**AN: I know Nijimura doesn't display much affluency at English in the light novel, but since this part of the story is two years since that incident, I figure he would have improved at least a little since then. Also, due to legal purposes, I didn't include the lyrics or name of any song in the karaoke scene (idk how the rules and regulations work for this sort of thing, so I decided not to risk it), but just imagine any metal/ rock song you know and it should fit XD. Idk if the next chapter will be updated as quickly due to how long the draft seems, but we'll have to see. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! 8D**

**Shout out to Akacchi(**I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter! It kills me to write fluff, but it's nice to know you all liked it XD**), Xxdreamergirl95xX, xenocanaan, PhoenixRage92, VixenOfMeiraz, S Rune, Addicted-to-GazettE, LincoeAlisson3298, lostinthefridge, RomanticKissez, wtfbruh, The Inner Mind Of A Basilisk, darkxXxflames, VanillaMilkshake18, okitaco and Indirianna for reviewing the last update! You guys are the best- I always love reading all your comments, and I really do appreciate them! Thanks, you guys, and I'll see you all next chapter ;D**


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**

**Recipient: Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**

**12.32 a.m.**

**Soooooo~?**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**Recipient: ****Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**12.34 a.m.**

**Satsuki-chan, it's past midnight and I am exhausted. Tell me you have a good reason for texting me.**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**Recipient: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**12.37 a.m.**

**Well, duh! U need to tell me all abt ur date ;]**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**Recipient: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**12.38 a.m.**

**It wasn't a date, it was an outing. And it was okay.**  
**Can't this wait until tomorrow?**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**Recipient: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**12.40 a.m.**

**Did u get in any smooching during ur 'outing'? ^3^**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**Recipient: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**12.43 a.m.**

**I'm going to pretend you didn't just send that.**  
**And no, there was no smooching, or canoodling, or whatever is going through your twisted head.**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**Recipient: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**

**12.45 a.m.**

**That's mean, Miko-chan :c**  
**Did u at least think abt smooching during ur outing?**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**Recipient: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**12.47 a.m.**

**I am going to pretend you didn't just send that, either.**  
**This conversation is over, Satsuki-chan. Good night.**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**Recipient: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**12.49 a.m.**

**Daww, fine. Be that way :[**  
**Have sweet dreams of Himuro-kun, Miko-chan o3o**

**-x-x-x**

**Sender: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**Recipient: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**12.50 a.m.**

**Any dream with him in it would be a nightmare.**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**Recipient: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**12.51 a.m.**

**Who knows? Maybe u guys will do more than just smooch in ur dreams~ ;3**

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: ****Tsun-Tsun Miko-chan**  
**Recipient: Mrs Satsuki Kuroko**  
**12.53 a.m.**

**You are dead to me.**

**-x-x-x-**

* * *

"Himuro-kun."

"Yes?"

"Have I told you just how much I hate you right now?"

"You've done so twelve times for the past ten minutes, yes."

"Well make it thirteen, because I hate you."

"Your input is noted."

"Kindly take a long walk off a short pier." Mikoto grumbled, shooting Himuro a weak glare as they both stood in the crowded train. It was half past seven in the morning, and she wasn't exactly feeling as fresh as a daisy. She really didn't like being awakened unexpectedly- it always put her in a gruff mood, and the large number of people riding the train with them didn't help much, either. She'd even changed her ringtone after Himuro's call- she was beginning to hate that song after being awoken by it twice, and it was all Tatsuya's fault. She would have kicked him if she didn't feel so groggy.

"Sorry." Himuro replied, though Mikoto couldn't tell just how sincere his apology was. Her muzzy state of mind was messing with her senses. "I just really wanted you to come along."

"You have Murasakibara-kun." Shirato complained, referring to the boy who was supposed to be the one to accompany Tatsuya to look around town a bit more before they were to head back to Akita. At least, that had been the plan they'd laid out yesterday night after receiving the news that they had to stay one more night in Tokyo- dragging her along for sightseeing again had not been part of the deal.

"I know. But I still wanted you here." His response was vague, and while Shirato normally would have responded she was too tired to pursue it this time.

"When Coach told me our bus was delayed, I expected to spend the day sleeping in." Mikoto lamented, adjusting her hold on the handrail. Indeed, the bus back to Tokyo had been delayed because of some roadwork accident on the freeway last night, which had effectively jammed up the flow of traffic. Araki had been forced to extend the team's stay yet another day, and she'd been pretty incensed about it- the arrangements with the hotel staff had been a pain, and she really hated using the club funds unnecessarily. "Not on going out at some ungodly hour in the morning."

"Yes, seven a.m. is indeed such a demonic hour." Himuro replied. This time, his sarcasm didn't go unnoticed and Mikoto sighed as she placed her face in her free hand.

"Stop talking."

"Will do."

Tatsuya wisely kept his mouth shut throughout the rest of the journey, giving Mikoto time to shake off her bad mood before attempting any form of conversation. By the time they'd reached their stop, Mikoto had successfully lightened up as they made their way out of the crowded subway and onto the equally crowded streets. They had arranged to meet up with Atsushi at a confectionery store in the main shopping district- the boy had apparently left the hotel before Himuro did to get to the store before their main product sold out, a feat that left Mikoto dumbstruck. Who on earth got up before six in the morning just to go and buy food?

Atsushi Murasakibara did, apparently.

"Oh, what's this over here?" Himuro suddenly questioned, his tone filled with intrigue as they passed a large sign that had been put up temporarily near the entrance to a large, spacious park. Further into the park grounds, they could see that there were several stalls put up near the main basketball court- judging from how huge the set-up looked and the number of people already gathering in that specific area, it was safe to guess that there was a pretty big event going on.

"Street Basketball Five-on-Five?" Himuro read aloud as he stared at the sign, the name striking Mikoto as familiar.

"Oh, that's right." She mused, remembering the event that was held on the premises of the park every year, in the middle of summer. "The annual street tournament. It's being held here again this year."

"It looks pretty grand." Tatsuya commented, sounding almost wistful as he gazed at the scene longingly.

"Did you compete in these often, back in America?" Mikoto guessed, earning a nod from her companion, who still hadn't looked away from the basketball court.

"Yeah, I did." Himuro's expression then turned thoughtful- his visible eye lighting up as an idea struck him. "I wonder..."

"Yosen has a policy against students participating in events not held by school authorities, Himuro-kun." Mikoto informed him quickly, her tone stern as she immediately guessed where his train of thought was headed. As soon as the words left her lips, Himuro's expression faltered as the gleam left his eyes- almost making Shirato wish she hadn't spoken up so harshly.

"But it wouldn't hurt if I just took part in this without them knowing, right?" He pleaded, using what Shirato assumed was his most innocent voice as he attempted to sway her. "Please, Shirato-chan? Just a couple of games and I'll be done, I swear it."

Normally, Mikoto would have rejected his attempts without second thought- breaking the school regulations wasn't something she was keen on encouraging. But then she made a mistake- she looked him in the eye.

His expression was calm and collected, as it always was. However, what really made Shirato hesitate was the emotion in his visible eye- beneath those cloudy, ashen pools lay a certain desperation; as if he were begging her with his eyes to let him have this one luxury. At that moment, Mikoto cursed her brain for acknowledging that she was biased for his eyes- she could feel her steadfast resolve wavering with each passing second.

She lost the struggle.

Shirato forcefully tore her gaze away as she glared daggers at the pavement, shoving her hands into her pockets and muttering, "We'll have to tell Murasakibara-kun about the change of plans."

Even without looking up at him, Mikoto could almost feel Himuro smile in response.

* * *

Tatsuya's mood seemed to elevate when he'd managed to sign up for the tournament- though he kept it well hidden, Mikoto could tell that he was elated to finally be able to play basketball for real after so long. He'd been completely exempted from the IH after all, and she doubted that little detour during their outing- she still refused to acknowledge it as a date- had really done much to satisfy his need for real, competitive playing. Himuro may have appeared calm and suave, but Shirato knew that deep down he all but breathed and lived for basketball. His passion for the sport was unrivalled amongst his teammates- Mikoto was willing to bet that he loved it as much as Daiki did, if not more.

To the Yosen manager, it was intriguing to see such fire burning beneath that cool front. Unlike Daiki, whose light flared bright like the sun, Himuro's light was more controlled- not as wild, but constant and strong nonetheless. But even so, there was a stark difference.

The shooting guard wasn't like the boys she'd known at Teiko, whose skills barely depleted no matter how little they practised. In Himuro's case, he had to train for countless hours every week just to maintain his current standard alone. He was good, yes, but he wasn't a Miracle. And Mikoto couldn't help but feel that beneath all that confidence... Himuro knew it too.

Ugh, why was she thinking about such depressing things?

Shirato shook her head to clear that contemplation from her mind as she wandered around the premise of the tournament. Himuro was currently preparing himself for a match, and she'd taken it upon herself to look around- Tatsuya had wanted to accompany her out of courtesy, but she had insisted that she would be fine on her own. She was looking around to see if she could grab a drink for him, or maybe something light to fill his stomach- playing a match would definitely tire him out...

"Shirato-san?"

Mikoto stiffened instinctively as her head swivelled around. Who said that? She couldn't see anyone-

And then she nearly dropped dead of a heart attack when she turned to the front once more. Before her stood a boy with powder blue hair, blinking down at her with eyes of the same pale hue- a boy she would recognize anywhere.

"Tetsuya-kun." Mikoto greeted, shutting her eyes briefly as she attempted to lower the pitch of her voice back to normal. "I thought we agreed that you would at least make some noise whenever you showed up around me."

"My apologies, Shirato-san." Tetsuya Kuroko responded, though his serene, level voice didn't make him sound all that apologetic.

"It's fine. It could have been worse." Like the first time she'd met him and slapped him because he had surprised her in the exact same way. Her reflexes had been honed far too well back then thanks to Nijimura's intense mentorship. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"I'm here with several of my teammates." Kuroko answered. At that, Mikoto's ears pricked- some of Seirin's players were here, too? "What about you, Shirato-san?"

"Well," Mikoto paused for a moment, trying to find a more appropriate substitute for 'I was brought here against my will because I was weak for pretty grey eyes and have forever stained the good name of my school and my discipline record'.

"It was sort of a last-minute thing."

Close enough.

Thankfully, that seemed to appease Kuroko, as the boy just nodded while the corners of his mouth turned upwards minutely. "I see. It has been a while since we last met, Shirato-san, I hope you are doing well."

"I am." Mikoto replied, her own expression softening as her gaze flickered to the basketball charm hanging from her wristband proudly. "Things are actually a lot better than I thought they would be."

"That's good. I'm happy to hear that." Given Tetsuya's genuine response, something told Shirato he didn't miss the newest addition to her bracelet. He always did have extraordinary observational skills, and the thought made Shirato hesitate slightly. Knowing how sharp he was, she doubted that he would not have made a guess as to who had gifted it to her...

"Tetsuya-kun, about Daiki- I'm s-"

"There is no need for you to apologize for anything, Shirato-san." Kuroko interrupted, his voice smooth yet firm as he reassured her. "That is something that has long since passed. For now, we should both focus on what lies ahead."

Kuroko's response surprised her, to say the least. The fact that Momoi refused to go into detail about what exactly happened during the Touou and Seirin match when she had informed Mikoto of her school's victory spoke volumes for itself- and from her own research, the score difference during that match hadn't been a pretty sight, either. It had been a disaster of a match, and yet Tetsuya- Daiki's former shadow, his partner- stood before her now, telling her that it was alright and that she didn't have to worry.

It was as if a weight had been lifted off her chest- a weight Mikoto didn't even know existed.

"Right." The girl agreed with a short chuckle, her expression brightening before she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and I'm sorry we couldn't get together for that meeting we promised."

"It is alright." Tetsuya conceded without any accusation in his tone. "We can always try again next time, if that's alright with you."

"I'd like that." Mikoto agreed, feeling somewhat bashful against her will. It wasn't easy to forget that she once liked this boy, even when those feelings had faded. But before she could continue, a small bark caught her attention, and the two teens looked down at the same time to see a puppy gazing up at them with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. To Shirato's intrigue, Kuroko bent down and swiftly picked it up in his hands, muttering something to the dog quietly- it was evident he was familiar with the puppy. A new pet, perhaps?

"Is he yours?" Shirato asked, unable to hold back her own grin as she stared at the canine, sticking out her index finger and allowing the pup to sniff at it experimentally. It was a handsome dog- it was wearing what looked to be a tiny Seirin jersey, but she could see that its top coat was mostly black, while its underbelly and paws were a snowy white. The pup couldn't have been older than a year old given its size, but there was something else- something about its appearance that struck her as odd, though Shirato had no idea what it was.

"Yes, he is." Kuroko answered, his faint smile mirroring Shirato's as Nigou licked at her finger. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was her deep fondness for dogs- a trait she shared with Aomine. "This is Nigou."

"Nigou?" Mikoto blinked in confusion, not taking her eyes off the dog as she tried to pinpoint just what it was that she found strange about the dog. It wasn't the jersey that it was wearing- though she had to admit, that was pretty adorable- but there was something very familiar about its appearance. "But why..."

And then it hit her.

"He has your eyes." Mikoto was dumbfounded as she gazed at the puppy, who just looked back at her innocently with wide, pastel blue eyes- the same eyes Tetsuya possessed. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Neither did we."

At the new, cheerful voice that suddenly spoke up, Mikoto nearly jumped as she stood up straight once more, quickly seeking out the person who had spoken. When she did, she nearly did a double take as she caught sight of the tall, broad-shouldered brunette with cheerful brown eyes standing behind Kuroko.

Teppei 'Iron Heart' Kiyoshi. The boy whose recovery she had wished for- whose leg had been crushed by Makoto Hanamiya. What was he doing here, participating in a street tournament? Before Mikoto could voice any of her questions- and incredulity- however, another boy with crimson hair tinted with dark undertones appeared next to Kiyoshi, eyeing her curiously as he munched on his food.

Followed by another brunette.

And another.

_Oh no_. One new arrival was enough to throw her off- being ambushed by the whole lot of them at once was starting to make her feel exceptionally nervous.

"Who's this, Kuroko?" The boy with slightly shorter, darker hair questioned as he leaned over Kuroko's shoulder, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"Another girl..." The other brunette whose name Shirato didn't know muttered, though he seemed somewhat antsy as he wouldn't meet her eye.

"This is Mikoto Shirato-san. She is my former schoolmate." Tetsuya introduced.

"Oh, I see." This seemed to appease their speculation for a moment.

"And also Aomine-kun's cousin." Tetsuya added as an afterthought.

"Wait, what?!"

And now their surprise was back. The boy with the reddish hair was even heaving as he nearly choked on his food while Kiyoshi patted his back cheerily, seemingly unfazed by the news. The others however, were suddenly staring at her with wide-eyed looks of disbelief- they looked almost wary of her now.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I don't see why I would joke about this, Fukuda-kun."

"F-for real?"

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Shirato added, feeling her nerves acting up again- she even inched backwards a step, as if their stares were pushing her back.

"Well, no one would expect a girl like you to be related to that guy..." The redhead, who had since recovered from his brief choking fit spoke up. His own gaze was scrutinizing as he observed her in a new light- probably seeking out the resemblance between herself and Aomine. She definitely didn't miss the way he flinched when her eyes narrowed at his statement, that was for sure.

"'A girl like me'?" She repeated, both puzzled and irked by his statement. Was that supposed to be a compliment or otherwise?

"T-that's not what I meant! I meant... uh..." He appeared to be rather flustered at this point, practically grasping at straws as he tried to piece together a decent sentence. However, Mikoto's attention was suddenly focused elsewhere to be vexed by his nervous behaviour- or rather, something else.

A silver ring, dangling from a chain around the boy's neck. One that was identical to Himuro's.

"In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Shirato-san." Teppei suddenly spoke up, saving the boy from an increasingly awkward situation. He beamed easily at Mikoto, and she couldn't help but return his smile tentatively- she didn't quite understand how he could be so polite to someone he had just met. In a way, he reminded her of Kise- bright and sunny, only Kiyoshi's charisma seemed more honest, somehow. "Please pardon my kouhai- Kagami-kun can be quite oblivious sometimes."

"Oblivious?!" The boy- Kagami- immediately snapped out of his embarrassment, fixing his upperclassman with a glare. "Whaddya mean by that?!"

"I think it means what he says, Kagami." The dark-haired one- Fukuda- replied, causing a vein in Kagami's temple to throb. Eventually an all-out banter ensued between the four boys, while Kuroko and Shirato stood safely out of the line of fire.

"These are your new teammates, then?" Mikoto commented.

"They may seem rather chaotic, but that is not something that impedes our strength as a team." Kuroko agreed, but underneath his monotonous voice there was an undercurrent of pride. "If anything, it makes us stronger."

"I think I understand." Mikoto sympathized, memories of her own teammates' stunts coming to the forefront of her mind. Her eyes remained trained on the redhead who had currently resumed eating as he spoke as he spoke, prompting his friends to admonish him for doing so. His mannerisms were oddly reminiscent of someone she knew, and she couldn't help but smile. "He's your new 'light', isn't he? I can see the resemblance."

"Yes." Kuroko responded, his own eyes growing slightly distant at the reminder. "Kagami-kun can be rather ignorant at times, but his heart is in the right place."

His reply brought a pang of melancholy to Mikoto, yet her smile held no trace of grudging as she remembered those same characteristics in Aomine. For Kuroko's sake, she fervently hoped that Kagami would remain this way- she never wanted to see anyone fall the way Daiki had, nor did she want Tetsuya to have to experience that hopelessness again. But seeing the resolve in Kuroko's clear blue eyes, Shirato knew that this time, he would not allow it to happen- he wasn't going to wait until it was too late.

"You chose a good team, Tetsuya-kun." Mikoto praised, turning to face the boy once more. "I wish you the best of luck."

"The same goes to you as well, Shirato-san." Kuroko inclined his head respectfully, returning her gesture of goodwill. "I hope everything works out for you and your own team, too."

"Why am I not surprises that you know about that?" Mikoto scoffed- Momoi probably had something to do with his knowledge of her position on Yosen's team. While she didn't quite mind this, the reminder of her teammates led her eyes to wander back to Kagami once more, and her lips thinned as she caught sight of the ring around his neck again. She had to wonder...

"Tetsuya-kun, if you don't mind me asking," Mikoto spoke up, focusing her gaze back on the boy before her. "Is Kagami-kun from out of town?"

"He was formerly living in America before he came to Japan." He replied, his own expression growing slightly curious as he noticed where she had been staring. "Is something the matter?"

"No, it's alright. I just remembered something a friend of mine told me." Shirato shook her head, before she glanced down at her watch. She had better get back to Tatsuya soon- their break was in a couple more minutes, and she still hadn't gotten anything for him yet. Somewhat pressed for time now, Mikoto quickly- and somewhat reluctantly- bid Kuroko farewell. She doubted she could say goodbye to the other Seirin guys- they still seemed preoccupied. "Well, I have to go now. I'll see you around, Tetsuya-kun."

"See you, Shirato-san." Kuroko returned, and even Nigou gave a small bark. Mikoto spared a moment just to scratch the puppy's chin lovingly before she finally turned away, focusing on her task once more. When she was a safe distance away from the Seirin bunch, Mikoto's lips curved into a contemplative frown as she replayed Kuroko's answer in her head- it was a strange, almost unlikely coincidence, but the stories matched. And if she recalled properly, Himuro had mentioned during their first outing that his 'brother''s name was...

"Taiga... Kagami."

* * *

_"So," Himuro concluded his story with a light sigh, a strained smile on his face as he finished explaining the tale behind his ring. "That's my story."_

_Shirato was silent for a few moments, her expression contemplative as she stirred her milkshake with a straw. When she finally looked up, her eyes were solemn. "Could I ask a question, now?"_

_"What is it?" Himuro consented, though he sounded cautious. However, that didn't stop Mikoto from presenting her opinion._

_"You guys were close. Why would you want to end a friendship like that over... this?"_

_At that, Himuro shook his head and exhaled slowly, as if he had repeated this a thousand times before and was growing tired. "We were too close- he wouldn't even take me seriously in our last match. I don't want to be taken lightly just because of something like that."_

_"I don't think-" Shirato stopped herself before she could finish, suddenly feeling sheepish as she quickly retracted her statement. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't judge."_

_"If you want to say something, then just say it. I won't bite." Tatsuya assured, his voice light. Mikoto watched his expression carefully for a while, hesitating as she wondered if it really was alright to express her opinion- she could be quite blunt sometimes, and this was no different. But as much as she wanted to put forth her comment lightly... there was no way to do it. If she was going to speak, it was going to be direct._

_"...I get that he wasn't thinking of your own pride and the significance of the agreement. And a promise is a promise, regardless of how conditions change." She spoke simply, meeting his eye with certainty. "But even so... I think he really _was_ taking you seriously- at least, the friendship you guys had. He treasured that more than his own needs, that's why he chose to lose."_

_"That's also exactly why I had to end it." Himuro replied- his tone more even and calm than Shirato had expected. He appeared unaffected by her blunt expression of her thoughts- instead, he looked almost as if he had expected it. There was something almost scary about that, and it only rectified Mikoto's earlier opinion of him- he would be a dangerous enemy to have._

_Regardless, his reply did get her thinking again, her mind whirring as she slowly processed the implications behind his answer. It may have seemed illogical to some that he would break off a friendship just because his 'younger brother' was beginning to overtake him, but at the same time... Shirato could understand where he was coming from. It stemmed from a feeling of inferiority- of a challenge to one's self more than anything else. If you could not live up to the title and expectations you were given, then you were not worthy of having them. By putting everything on the line, Himuro would not only give himself motivation, but Kagami as well. It was selfish, of that there was no doubt, and it was almost insensible... but that expressed just how much all of this meant to him- how much _basketball_ meant to him._

_"So that's how much you love this sport." Shirato murmured, her fingers automatically trailing over her wristband as she recalled the people who had given it to her. The silence that followed her comment was unnerving, however, and for a moment Mikoto thought she had finally pushed her luck and had made a mistake with her words. Glancing up nervously at Himuro, she saw that he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he had folded both hands beneath his chin, his face unreadable. He didn't look angry, but she couldn't decipher his expression either- and that made her even more worried than it would have if he had been upset._

_"...Very perceptive." Himuro mused, before finally casting his eyes back up to meet Mikoto's once again. Though he seemed relatively nonchalant, there was a different expression in his silvery irises, and Mikoto felt like shrinking away. It wasn't an antagonistic gaze, but it was... intense. Enough to make her wonder if her simple observation was something that he never had anyone point out..._

_Or maybe it was something she wasn't supposed to have noticed._

_"My apologies." She muttered quietly, nervously bringing her straw to her lips once again as she sought a reason to look away. However, Himuro surprised her again by speaking up._

_"No, no. I didn't mean that as criticism. In fact... I actually like that."_

_When she finally managed to bring herself to look up at Tatsuya again, a slight, mysterious smile rested on his lips- and Mikoto almost wanted to shudder at what that implied. "I think we'll get along just fine, Shirato-chan."_

_And yet, she also wanted to face whatever implications it brought head on, to prove that she wasn't someone to be taken lightly._

_"The feeling is mutual."_

* * *

If there was one thing Himuro was sure of, it was that when a woman remained silent, it didn't just mean trouble- it meant that there would be hell to pay. Thus, as he and Murasakibara headed towards Mikoto to place the first-year's bag of snacks aside he dearly hoped she was going to say something, though her crossed arms already weren't a good sign. His own involvement in this tournament was probably driving her up the wall, but with Murasakibara now expressing his own interest to join after Taiga's blatant provocation he doubted she was was going to be pleased about it...

"I went and got another bottle for you, Murasakibara-kun." Was the first thing Shirato said when they was close enough to hear her, and she held out a bottle of water that he hadn't seen her grasping in her hand earlier. Blinking, Atsushi accepted the bottle from her, his initially bored expression turning into one of vague surprise. Himuro in turn didn't tear his eyes away from Shirato's face, not quite convinced that they were in the clear just yet.

"That's it?"

"I'm a little miffed that you pretended like you didn't know the very regulation I just told you about, and that you just lied your way into getting Murasakibara in as well." Though her posture was relaxed, her glower was enough to make Himuro wince. "I'm not happy that you joined in the first place, Murasakibara-kun." Shirato added when Atsushi snickered at Himuro, prompting the violet-haired teen to clam up immediately.

"...But given the turn of events, I will let it slide." The manager eventually sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, but before Himuro could say anything the words died on his lips when he noticed something strange.

"Shira-chin, your bag is moving." Murasakibara beat him to the chase, the two of them staring at the bag Shirato carried on her shoulder in alarm as they noticed it writhing and jerking around. Mikoto glanced down at her bag at his question, looking way too calm despite the odd situation, and simply reached into the bag as she pulled out the cause of the strange occurrence- a puppy. And a very familiar one, at that.

"Isn't that Seirin's dog?" Himuro blinked as stared incredulously at the black and white pup that he had seen in Kuroko's care. The canine simply emitted a friendly bark in return, its surprisingly bright eyes staring at him in fascination.

"He came up to me when Tetsuya-kun put him down earlier. I was afraid he would wander off if I let him go, so I'm watching him." Mikoto explained calmly, as if it were a normal thing to allow a dog that didn't even belong to her to roll around in her bag. The mention of the Seirin player made Himuro's teeth clench slightly- she certainly seemed comfortable enough around Kuroko to use his first name so casually- but he hid his disdain well. "His name is Nigou."

"It looks like he's taken a liking to you." Himuro commented, noticing the way the puppy seemed to settle comfortably in her arms without squirming around.

"I should hope so." Mikoto replied, before the tiny canine hopped up and licked at her face. The girl's face scrunched up slightly as she rubbed her hand across the trail of saliva it had left behind, but much to Tatsuya's surprise a girlish giggle left her lips as she admonished the puppy. "Hey, hey- calm down, boy."

Even though he'd seen the way she played with Toshi sometimes, it still astounded Himuro just how differently she acted as she cooed lovingly at the puppy in her arms. From a stoic young lady to an affectionate, open person who didn't mind looking a little foolish as she handled the canine with such care... it was like seeing an entirely different person.

He liked it. No- he _really_ liked it.

"He has the same look..." Murasakibara's words brought Himuro's attention back to the boy, who was leaning forward as he narrowed his eyes at the puppy. Atsushi looked almost annoyed as the dog tilted its head at him, prompting the boy to mumble, "It makes me want to crush him, too."

"I'll be the one to crush you first if you even try to lay a hand on him." Mikoto growled in return, turning away from Murasakibara and holding Nigou to her chest almost protectively. Himuro had to wonder if it was logical to feel almost envious of a dog, but he quickly forced that thought aside as he focused back on the situation at hand- he had a promise to fulfil now, everything else could come later.

"Anyway, Atsushi- you can put your things down here." He addressed his tall companion once more, and Atsushi simply nodded as he placed his things next to Himuro's own bag. As he did so, Tatsuya was somewhat startled when Mikoto suddenly touched his arm, prompting him to look back at her- the girl's expression was serious as she beckoned for him to lean down, and so he complied.

"I know this match is important to you," Mikoto's kept her voice low as she spoke to him- she clearly intended for her words to be for his ears only. "But that guy with Seirin- the tallest one- that's Teppei Kiyoshi."

"The one who hurt his leg?" Himuro was taken aback by that, recalling what Shirato had told him about the boy. "What's he doing here, then?"

"I don't know." Shirato admitted, biting her lower lip as she hesitated. But..."

"I can't take it easy on him- you know that." Himuro spoke up, his tone firm. Before Mikoto could respond to that however, he continued in a softer voice. "But if the opportunity to stop him before he potentially strains his injury presents itself, I'll take it."

Shirato looked stunned, as if she had been expecting him to oppose her more strongly. It made him feel somewhat dejected- did she think he was really that selfish?- but the feeling quickly faded when Mikoto shot him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Nigou barked joyfully after she said that, and this time even Tatsuya cracked a small grin. "I'm guessing he's saying 'thanks', too." He asked, allowing himself to stroke the dog's head lightly as it yipped again in response. "He's pretty intelligent, isn't he?"

"Definitely."

"What are you two talking about?" Murasakibara suddenly piped up, staring at the two teens curiously with his hands now empty.

"It's nothing, Atsushi." Himuro assured, before he prepared to head back onto the court. "Well then, let's go. Can't keep everyone waiting."

"Make sure you two don't lose this match, you got that?" Shirato added as they were about to walk away, much to their surprise. It was almost as if she were treating this as one of their official matches- but then again, so was he.

"Got it." Himuro shot her his trademark half-smile while Murasakibara simply grunted, and the two of them made their way back to the court to prepare themselves for their first game against Seirin.

Once the two Yosen boys were out of hearing distance, Mikoto's expression grew solemn as she stared after Himuro, her brow furrowing in thought. She never really thought about it, but there was something that she'd always found strange about Tatsuya...

"...Say, Nigou." Mikoto murmured to the puppy, prompting the dog to glance up at her in intrigue. "You ever think that it's strange how he never pulls his hair back even when he plays?"

"Were you talking to me?" A man to her right suddenly piped up, looking at her oddly.

"No. Sorry." Shirato amended quickly, turning away as she hid her reddening face.

Well, there went what was left of her dignity.

* * *

To say that the beginning of the match was intense would have been an understatement. The two teams pulled no punches as they went all out from the very start, with the Seirin team taking the ball first. Shirato almost wanted to throw something at Murasakibara for letting them do so- she knew that _he_ knew that if he had put in a little more effort, he would have nabbed the ball easily- but she maintained her composure, reasoning to herself that it wasn't an official match anyway. When Kuroko first went for an Ignite Pass to Kiyoshi, Shirato was admittedly quite impressed- not everyone could catch a pass like that from Tetsuya, but judging from the slight grimace on Teppei's face she deduced that it wasn't a move he could pull off very often.

Even so, the prowess of Seirin's former ace was made obvious when he went for an impressive dunk, raising a few cheers from the crowd as he did so. Despite his formidable display of skill, Mikoto's eyes narrowed- was that sort of strain good for his current state? Regardless, Shirato didn't allow her attention to stray from the actions of the other players either- their data on Seirin's team had yet to be updated, and now was a good opportunity to collect as much data as she could. At the back of her mind, Mikoto acknowledged that she was becoming far too invested in her manager duties... but if she was going to do something, then she was going to do it to the best of her abilities.

The one-on-one that ensued between Kagami and Himuro right after Tatsuya went on the offensive ended almost as quickly as it had begun, the shooting guard's flawless motion preventing Taiga from anticipating his movements despite his sharp instincts. Even after witnessing him in action for so long, that didn't stop Mikoto's breath from catching slightly as Tatsuya went for a perfect three-pointer- even the audience went silent for a moment after he scored. Mikoto would have been entranced for a while longer, had her nose not picked up the sweet, almost metallic scent of ozone that she recognized all too well. The girl's attention was diverted from the court as she looked up at the sky and was taken aback- when had those rainclouds started rolling in? She hadn't even noticed the sky turning grey at all!

Emitting a mild curse under her breath, the girl glanced down at the puppy in her arms- she would have loved to keep watching, but she really didn't want to get neither herself nor Nigou rained on. "C'mon, let's find some shade before you get wet, okay?" She murmured to the canine quietly, earning a look from those big, baby-blue eyes. Shirato was just about to retreat past the edge of the crowd and under the shade of the stalls, before she paused as she remembered the belongings of her two teammates. She couldn't just leave their stuff out here...

"The things I do as manager." Mikoto sighed, lowering Nigou to the ground as she slung Himuro's bag over her own. She then carried Murasakibara's bag of snacks- just how much did that giant buy?!- before whistling lowly to get Nigou's attention again. "Heel, Nigou. Heel." She commanded, and the pup stuck faithfully to her side as she made her way through the crowd- smart dog.

"Any second now..." Mikoto muttered to herself as she stood safely beneath the cover of a stall, staring up at the sky just as the first few drops of rain hit the pavement. "There it is. Told you it was gonna rain." She turned to Nigou and shot the dog a small, smug smile, earning a bark of what she assumed to be agreement in reply.

The girl chuckled quietly at the dog's response, leaning down to pet his head before she stood on her toes, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of the court from where she stood. The rain had quickly started pouring down despite having started out as a slight drizzle, and people were quickly evacuating the area as the announcer called for a postponement of the match. The looks on the basketball players' faces spoke volumes of their displeasure- Kagami even protested loudly enough that she heard him from where she was- but it was obvious that no one was going to continue playing in this weather. However, just when she thought they were going to get off the court, Himuro suddenly bounced the ball on the floor, saying something to Taiga that she couldn't hear. The moment he bent his knees and readied himself for a shot from the two-point line, Mikoto realized with a start what he was going to do.

_'He's showing them his new shot? This early on?'_ Shirato could only watch in solemn acceptance as Himuro's 'shot' went right through Kagami's attempt to defend, landing in the basket effortlessly. A sigh left her lips as Mikoto shook her head- what a show-off...

Thankfully, that was all the flaunting that ensued, because after another brief exchange the two teams split up and went their separate ways. For a moment, Mikoto wasn't sure what to do- she had been given brief, unofficial custody of Nigou and she had to return the puppy to Tetsuya, but she also had to go back to Himuro and Atsushi...

Making a split second decision, Mikoto caved in as she called Nigou to heel again, jogging after Kuroko and his teammates as they all gathered beneath another stall nearby. "Where's Nigou?" She heard the brunette- whose name she still didn't know- ask as she approached them. Evidently, they hadn't seen her yet.

"Don't tell me he's disappeared like his master!"

"Speaking of whom... where's Kuroko?!"

"I'm right here."

"Eh?!"

Mikoto couldn't help but give a short laugh at the familiar occurrence before her, feeling almost nostalgic as she recalled how the same used to happen back during her days in Teiko. Apparently, this caught the attention of the Seirin players, who turned towards her as she finally reached their position.

"I think he's yours, Tetsuya-kun." She gestured towards Nigou with her free hand, pretending not to notice their incredulous stares as she carried Himuro's bag- which had the Yosen emblem proudly emblazoned on it. The dog immediately left her side and ran up to Kuroko as the boy stepped forth, welcoming the puppy into his arms with a slight smile.

"Thank you for watching him, Shirato-san." He thanked gratefully, and Mikoto nodded in return.

"You're from Yosen, too?!" Kagami suddenly blurted, his mouth agape. She couldn't blame him.

"Well, I assume that's somewhat obvious now." Shirato lifted one shoulder in a shrug, starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable with all their staring. Thankfully- or possibly, unluckily- a shadow fell over her just then, and she noticed some of the other Seirin guys looking even more mortified than before. From their reaction, Shirato instinctively knew who it was standing behind her.

"There you are, Shira-chin." Atsushi spoke up in his usual, lazy drawl as he carelessly plucked his bag of snacks from Mikoto's hand, not even having the courtesy to ask. "I was wondering where you stole my snacks to."

"I didn't steal them. You should be thanking me for getting them out of the rain." Mikoto deadpanned.

"Don't feel like it." Murasakibara shrugged, his callous tone earning a scowl from Shirato- he was too busy opening up another packet of umaibo to notice, though.

"Thanks, Shirato-chan." Himuro intervened before Mikoto could attempt an admonishment that would have made Atsushi's sister proud, assisting her in removing his sling bag from her shoulder as he did so.

"You two are dead if Coach Araki finds out about this match." Mikoto reminded the two of them, acutely aware of the Seirin players' scrutiny even without looking at them.

"She won't know if nobody tells her." Himuro stated, as if it were obvious.

"And you think I'm going to cover for you?"

"Yes." The two boys responded in unison, and that finally made Mikoto snap.

"What kind of benevolent person do you take me for?" She hissed, wanting to yank her hair out over these two basketball-obsessed freaks. As Himuro attempted to calm Shirato down while Murasakibara casually egged her on, the Seirin group began to whisper amongst themselves.

"So they know each other?" Kouki Furihata asked, casting furtive glances back at the trio.

"They know each other _well_, apparently." Kiyoshi offered his two cents- from the way they seemed to get on so easily, it was a safe assumption to make.

"Did you know this, Kuroko?" Hiroshi Fukuda inquired, turning to the team's 'shadow' expectantly.

"I didn't think it was necessary to inform you all of such." Kuroko replied, his expression giving nothing away. His teammates on the other hand, gave him a flat stare.

"You really..."

"I have to be on my way now. It was a pleasure to meet you all." When Shirato suddenly spoke up to address them again, the team quickly pulled out of their semi-huddle of sorts, trying to appear innocent. If she thought their behaviour was odd, she didn't say anything as she took out a collapsible umbrella from her bag and waved at them- Kuroko, in particular. "Until next time, Tetsuya-kun."

"Let's meet again, at the Winter Cup." Tetsuya declared firmly. Shirato blinked at the direct challenge he had put forth before her own expression shifted into one of determination, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Don't keep us waiting." Mikoto replied calmly, her demeanour expressing for itself the extent of her confidence in her team. Opening up her umbrella and passing it to Murasakibara to hold, the three Yosen students then went their own way, their silhouettes soon fading into the distance under the cover of the pouring rain.

"So that girl- Shirato- is their manager?" Kiyoshi asked, still somewhat surprised that the harmless-looking girl was on the team that someone as intimidating as Murasakibara was on. But then again, the same could be said for Aida as well, since she kept them all pretty well-disciplined despite having to fulfil the role of both manager and coach.

"I am not quite certain." Kuroko replied vaguely.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kouki appeared confused at the strange answer to such a specific question- it was either a 'yes' or a 'no'.

"I'm not quite sure, either." Tetsuya answered again, earning an exasperated look from his two first-year teammates. Kiyoshi then took this moment to step in, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Well, there's no point thinking too much about it- we'll see them again at the Winter Cup, anyway." Teppei commented optimistically, before holding out a hand to catch some of the raindrops that were falling. "For now, the real question is how are we going to get out of this rain?"

At that, they were all stumped. Unlike Yosen, they didn't have anyone who had an umbrella on them, thus leaving them in quite the predicament. Fukuda was the first to speak up, trying to voice his suggestion.

"I think we should-"

"Good idea! Let's just head for bus stop!" Kiyoshi agreed with his own opinion before Hiroshi could finish, much to the boy's distress- that hadn't been what he was about to suggest at all! However, before he could say as much Kiyoshi had already sauntered out into the rain, blatantly oblivious to his teammates' deadpan stares.

"I don't think he even heard me at all..."

"Then again, our bus is probably gonna arrive soon." Furihata commented, looking at his watch. "He could be on to something."

"Why are all our senpais so weird sometimes?" Fukuda muttered, before both he and Fukuda reluctantly followed after Kiyoshi. Kuroko moved to do the same, but before he did he noticed that Kagami hadn't moved- in fact, he hadn't said a word at all since Murasakibara and Himuro appeared again. Taiga was still staring in the direction where the Yosen trio had headed off to, his expression slack.

"Kagami-kun?" Tetsuya approached his teammate curiously, and the taller boy immediately blinked himself out of his stupor as he glanced back at Kuroko.

"Ah, right. I'm coming." He nodded, joining the bluenette as they trudged through the rain after their teammates. However, as they did so Kagami couldn't help but glance back one last time over his shoulder as he recalled the slight girl with the Yosen guys, who had appeared to be nothing special until Kuroko announced her relations. But there was also something else that had caught his attention- something that perhaps no one else had noticed.

_'The way Tatsuya looked at her...'_

* * *

Shirato groaned internally as she watched Himuro purchase a chip for her train instead of the one Murasakibara was buying in the subway station- evidently, he was intent on walking her back again instead of heading back to his hotel. It was flattering to have such chivalry directed at her, but it was also somewhat unnecessary for him to spend his time and energy- not to mention money- just to do so.

"You head back first, Atsushi. I'll meet you back at the hotel later." Himuro informed his teammate, who didn't even raise an eyebrow at the heads-up.

"Okay." Murasakibara consented, waving towards Mikoto what looked like a packet of biscuits in his hand as he headed towards his own platform. "See you tomorrow, Shira-chin."

"Go back and make sure you change into something dry, alright?" Shirato called back, earning what sounded like an exasperated mumble from Murasakibara, who didn't turn around. Once that was done, she turned back to Himuro to shoot him a reprimanding look. "You know, you don't have to walk me back all the time. I'll be fine on my own."

"If we were back in Akita, I wouldn't mind letting you walk back alone. But this is Tokyo- you know what the crime rates are like in bigger cities."

"I can defend myself." Mikoto retorted, before tugging at the sleeve of his shirt, which was still damp. "And you could get sick in those drenched clothes.

"I prefer the risk of me catching the flu than you being in danger." Himuro replied, grasping the hand that she'd used to pick at his shirt as he pulled her towards the turnstiles leading to their own platform. "Plus, it would be rather impolite of me to let a lady walk home by herself."

"I have to make a stop at the grocery store, though." Mikoto sighed as she conceded, subtly removing her hand from his to deposit her token in the machine- she didn't quite understand his reasoning for taking her hand in his, but she tried not to think too hard about it. Maybe he was just rushing her. "I hope you don't mind."

"It's alright. It gives me an excuse to spend more time with you, after all." Himuro responded as he followed behind her, deliberately placing a hand on her head to annoy her. It worked- Mikoto swatted his hand away immediately and frowned, smoothing down her hair to make sure that not a strand was out of place.

"Don't do that to my hair." Shirato grumbled, earning an amused look from Tatsuya in response.

"Stickler." He jested.

"Jerkass." She retorted.

"Redundant."

"Grammar Nazi."

"...Tatsuya."

"What?" Mikoto seemed startled at his reply, which broke the chain of back and forth insults they had been caught up in. Himuro just shrugged, repeating his request with more accurate wording.

"Call me Tatsuya from now on." He insisted, looking her dead in the eye as he did so.

"Oh. Uhm... okay." Mikoto blinked in surprise, before she lapsed into silence as they reached their platform. That quickly ended, however, when Himuro suddenly leaned very close to her, prompting Shirato to squeak in surprise as she immediately took a step back.

"What are you doing?!" Shirato exclaimed, retreating yet again when Himuro continued to advance. It didn't end there- for each step she took backwards, he moved right along with her. Mikoto was starting to feel highly annoyed and somewhat mistrustful- was he trying to make them look like children playing some strange, twisted game of tag in public?

"I want to hear you say my name." Himuro remained unperturbed, as if Mikoto wasn't currently contemplating the most subtle way to flip him onto his head without drawing attention.

"Have you ever heard of personal space?" Shirato hissed, resorting to shoving at his chest to try and stop him from coming closer- it didn't work. She really had to start working out again.

"That's not my name." To further increase Mikoto's dismay, Tatsuya leaned in even closer than before as he whispered huskily, "Go on, say it."

"Fine, fine!" Mikoto gave in as she cringed away from the boy before her, her face feeling as if it were on fire. When he finally allowed her a little room to breathe, Shirato inhaled deeply before glancing back at him, her face slightly flushed. "T-Tatsuya-kun. There. I said it."

"Much better." Himuro nodded in satisfaction. A light smirk ghosted across his features as he straightened up again, his grey eyes sparkling with mischief. "It sounds a lot nicer when you say it, Mikoto-chan." He added emphasis on her name, annunciating each syllable with a teasing lilt.

"Is this supposed to be some poor attempt at charming me with your wiles?" Mikoto grumbled, glaring at him all the while as her hands clenched into fists at her side. How _dare_ he?! Making such bold advances towards her simply because he wanted her to concede to his request...

She was going to ignore how her heart seemed to skip a beat when he said her name, though.

"Yes." He responded simply, finally backing off with a smug smile resting on his lips. If Mikoto didn't know any better, she would have thought he was being serious. But of course, she wasn't fooling herself- guys like Tatsuya Himuro would never take an interest in her that way.

"You're so lucky I don't have Toshi with me." She muttered as she covered her face with both her hands, counting to ten as she attempted to calm herself... and to slow her racing heart. She was embarrassed beyond all belief, and she wished she could just shrivel up and die now instead of having to deal with the stares she knew she was getting from all the people around them.

"Indeed." Himuro hummed non-committally, turning around once more as he focused his attention of the screen displaying the arrival times- their train was due in just a couple more minutes. He could hear Mikoto muttering something under her breath- something along the lines of 'insufferable, infuriating git', along with some colourful threats involving herself, a sharp stick, and some very interesting places on his person. It was all highly entertaining- if not very violent and graphic.

But it was a small price to pay for his achievement. Because he, in a sense, now stood on equal ground with _him_\- Taiga's new teammate, the Phantom Sixth Man, and the same boy that had caught Mikoto's interest in a way that he hadn't.

And there was no way in hell that he was going to lose out to Tetsuya Kuroko.

* * *

When Mikoto finally returned home that evening, she noticed two things:

One, her aunt was already home.

Two, there was a distinct lack of Daiki's school shoes on the shoe rack, which meant he wasn't home yet.

Given that it was a Saturday, the latter should not have been all that big a deal. But as far as Mikoto knew, Daiki wasn't the type to hang out with his friends and go out when he could come home and nap instead. The only exception was Satsuki, who often dragged him out to go shopping with her or some other trivial task on her schedule. But even this probability was thrown out the window when her aunt peeked her head out of the kitchen doorway, her voice hopeful as she called out, "Daiki, is that you?"

When Shiori caught a glimpse of Mikoto in the doorway, her expression fell for a moment. "Oh, Mikoto. I'm sorry, I thought you were..."

"It's alright, obasan." Mikoto reassured, briefly putting down the plastic bag containing the groceries she'd bought to remove her shoes. "Daiki isn't home yet?"

"No. And he doesn't normally stay out so long after practice without coming home first..."

_'Uh oh'_. Shirato immediately heard the alarm bells going off in her head, and she quickly made an attempt to reassure her aunt. "Don't worry about him, obasan. Maybe he just went out with his teammates." Shiori didn't quite seem to buy the unlikely excuse, so Mikoto quickly followed that up with, "And I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I use your kitchen? I planned on making something for my teammates."

"Oh, of course." The woman shook herself out of her worry for a moment as she smiled politely at her niece, allowing her into the kitchen. "Do you need any help?"

"I would appreciate that, obasan." Mikoto accepted her aunt's offer gratefully- it would take a while to make enough food for her boys. "I'm willing to help out with dinner too, if you'd like."

"I wouldn't mind." Her aunt's voice then became a little teasing as she added, "But I still won't tell you how I make my curry."

"Can't blame me for trying to find out." Mikoto chuckled. Her aunt was always secretive about all of her recipes, insisting that she wasn't ready to learn them yet- the same excuse she'd been using ever since Mikoto had started experimenting in the kitchen. Shirato had tried and multiple times before to replicate some of her aunt's recipes- some attempts had been successful, while the failed ones had ended up being fed to Toshi to erase all evidence.

"You're making daifuku?" Shiori guessed as she watched Mikoto remove the ingredients from the plastic bag, her dark eyes lighting up with a spark of interest.

"Strawberry daifuku, to be exact." Shirato nodded, placing the boxes of strawberries she had purchased on the table. "My teammates could use something a little something for their efforts. I thought it would make a decent reward."

"They had better appreciate it." Shiori commented, walking over to the table to help Mikoto sort out her things as the girl went to fetch the utensils she needed. "When a woman cooks for a man, it means he holds a special place in her heart."

"It's nothing like that, obasan." Shirato assured, feeling somewhat embarrassed at her aunt's words. The idea of her getting along with any of the guys on the basketball team on a level beyond friendship was... different, to say the least. Awkward in some cases, too- just imagining herself going out with Fukui, for example, was enough to make Mikoto cringe.

"Really? Not even one of them?"

Mikoto started reciting the multiplication table in her head when the image of a certain shooting guard flashed in her mind.

"Not even one of them." She repeated firmly, hoping that she sounded more convincing than she felt. Shiori just sighed and took the bowl and whisk from Shirato's hands before she could protest as she took charge of whisking the shirotamako, indirectly telling Mikoto to work on the strawberries and the anko. Having no other option, Mikoto gave a wry smile as she went to wash the strawberries, hoping that there would be enough to feed the whole team- and also trying to clear her mind of the worry she felt over Daiki's absence.

Looking out of the kitchen window, Shirato could only hope that the rain wasn't a bad omen... and that her cousin was alright.

* * *

As the day wore on, Mikoto's attempts to distract her aunt from worrying about Daiki grew more and more futile. It was bad enough that she herself wasn't quite convinced that everything was fine, but matters were made even worse when Shiori had tried calling her son and had been redirected- apparently, his phone was off, and that meant they had no way to contact him. Even Momoi wasn't answering her phone as Mikoto tried to contact her, even though her calls were getting through. Shirato wisely kept this information from her aunt.

Shiori had started to grow a little more frantic, but Mikoto calmed her aunt down the best she could, telling her the same thing over and over- Daiki was alright, his phone was just running low on battery, he was out with his friends and would be back before dinner. It didn't do much, but at least it kept her aunt from calling the cops and having an all-out panic attack. It was only when the rain outside began to slow to a halt and her uncle returned from work that Mikoto began wondering if her aunt's worry was rightly placed- staying out for so long without prior notice was unlike Daiki, and the fact that she couldn't contact Satsuki either was beginning to make her nervous.

"Daiki isn't home yet?" Hitoshi's brow was furrowed as he noted his son's absence at the dining table, his own azure eyes evicting his concern. As an only child herself, Mikoto could understand why the two adults were so worried about this odd situation- it was approaching nightfall, and to have their teenage son out so late without any prior notice could be highly worrisome.

"He hasn't returned from school at all." Shiori was restless, clearly too tense to start on eating dinner without her son present. "Where could he have-"

Just before she could finish her sentence, however, the sound of the front door opening reached their ears. Shiori all but leapt to her feet as she rushed out of the kitchen, Mikoto and her uncle following a few steps behind the anxious mother. When she beheld the navy-haired figure standing in the doorway, Mikoto let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in, feeling relief swell within her chest at seeing her cousin safe and sound- despite the fact that he was dripping wet and was tracking water into the house. But even with his currently dishevelled state, Shiori threw her arms around her son without a second thought, catching Daiki off guard and causing him to stumble.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" Shiori sighed in relief as she held her son at an arm's distance looking him over for any sign that he might have gotten hurt. "We were so worried that something might have happened to you!" Once that was out of the way, Shiori's eyes narrowed as she launched into a flurry of questions, her worried voice now laced with a stern tone. "Where were you? Why didn't you pick up your phone when we called? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"It's not like I was out until midnight, mom." Daiki assured, sounding almost annoyed by all the fussing he was receiving. However, Mikoto became somewhat intrigued when she saw the expression on hid face. Amidst the lethargic, accepting expression he was wearing, there was something about his tone that indicated that he wasn't quite listening to what his mother was saying- as if he had something else on his mind. "And my phone died on me, so I couldn't pick up."

"Oh, you're soaking wet!" Shiori suddenly exclaimed, as if she were only just noticing her son's appearance. She practically shoved Daiki towards the staircase as she scolded him, "Go upstairs and take a hot shower before you get sick! Go on!"

"Alright, alright." Daiki agreed exasperatedly, but his mom appeared too relieved to acknowledge his attitude- or maybe she was just used to it. Indeed, Shiori just heaved another sigh as she held a hand over her heart, muttering a prayer of thanks under her breath. Mikoto just watched from a distance as her uncle walked up to his wife, putting an arm around her as he spoke a few quiet words to ease her frantic state. Deciding to allow them some some privacy, Mikoto silently slipped back into the kitchen, sitting down at the table with a low exhale. She remained that way for a few moments, silently tapping her feet on the floor out of boredom until her phone vibrated, indicating that a new message had been sent. Eager to have something to focus her attention on- and hoping that it was from who she thought it was- Mikoto withdrew her phone and read the message with earnest.

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Satsuki Momoi**  
**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**  
**6.57 p.m.**

**Sry I didn't pick up earlier, Miko-chan. Was a little bzy ;P**  
**Do u still need to talk?**

**-x-x-x-**

Upon reading the message, Mikoto's expression grew contemplative. 'A little busy', she said- but so busy that she would break off her regular habit of replying to her text messages in less than five minutes and not pick up her calls? Added on to the fact that Daiki had returned home late, looking as though he'd trudged through the rain nearly the whole afternoon merely a few minutes before Momoi sent the text...

It was a pretty wild assumption to make, but Mikoto had a feeling that this was no coincidence.

**-x-x-x-**

**Sender: Mikoto Shirato**  
**Recipient: Satsuki Momoi**  
**7.00 p.m.**

**Kind of. I'll call you again later- make sure you pick up, alright?**

**-x-x-x-  
**

* * *

That night after dinner, Daiki lay on his bed with his limbs sprawled out, staring at the ceiling of his room blankly- he wasn't even reading one of the gravure magazines that he hid under his mattress like he normally did. Despite what his disposition suggested, he wasn't actually bored out of his skull- there were a million thoughts running through his head just then, the most prominent of all being the spat he just had with Satsuki that afternoon. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that she'd thrown her clipboard at his face- it wasn't like she'd never smacked him around a little during all their years together, this time that had actually kind of hurt. It didn't help that she'd run away after doing so, either- _that_ was something that had never happened before, and he definitely hadn't missed the way her eyes had shone with tears that hadn't yet spilled over before she turned on her heel and ran out into the rain.

It had been a stupid move on her part, but the longer he thought about it, the more he began to acknowledge that he'd said some pretty stupid things, too. It was no different from the argument he'd had with Mikoto a year ago- come to think of it, she'd slapped him pretty hard back then, too- but this time, there had been one stark difference.

This time- after he'd cooled down- he had chased after Satsuki, not giving a damn about the pouring rain or the fact that he'd acknowledged it as a dumb move just moments earlier.

A knock on his door snapped Aomine out of his brooding for a moment, and he huffed under his breath- that was probably his mom, checking in on him to make sure he wasn't falling ill after his little adventure in the rain.

"It's open." He called, barely paying attention as the door swung open. What _did_ catch his attention, however, was the voice that distinctly wasn't his mother's coming from the person in the doorway.

"This place is as messy as I remember." Mikoto was observing his room with a critical eye, no doubt feeling the urge to kick him out so that she could tidy it up for him- it wouldn't have been the first time if she had. But at the moment, Daiki doubted that was her intent- she hadn't come into his room at all throughout her stay thus far, and he definitely hadn't expected her to do so on the very last day of her visit.

"Did you come in here to admire my room, or do you actually want to talk?" He asked bluntly, sitting up straight on his bed. His comment earned a scoff from Mikoto as she walked past his bed for a moment, grabbing the swivel chair at his desk and wheeling closer to his bed. She then spun the chair around so that it was backwards before she sat down, placing her elbows on the back of the chair as she met his eye calmly.

"You know, the rain stopped at least an hour before you came back." She began, and Aomine silently cursed her inquisitiveness. "What were you doing all that while?"

"Still as nosy as ever, huh?" Daiki grunted, glancing away as he reached for the basketball on his bedside drawer and spinning it on his index finger. He just needed something he could use to distract himself from looking directly at Mikoto for too long- her lectures normally lasted a while.

"It had something to do with Satsuki-chan, didn't it?" Upon that statement, Daiki fumbled with his ball, nearly dropping it as it suddenly lost its balance on his fingertip. That slip up was all Mikoto needed to know that her deduction had been correct- he could see it in the way her gaze sharpened. "Did something bad happen?"

Now, he had several options. He could tell her it was none of her business, or perhaps even tell a lie and brush off her question with a bunch of excuses. Heck, he could even ignore her and pretend he hadn't heard the question and continue meddling with his basketball- maybe even tell her to get out his room if she was going to continue talking about things that didn't concern her.

But the fact of the matter was this- he really needed to blow off some steam, and ranting about his problems seemed like the only way he could do so now. Basketball was out of the question- his eyes darkened slightly as he recalled his injured knees, which had spawned the issue that had gotten him into this mess in the first place.

"Don't know why I even bothered." He muttered, passing the ball between his hands as he glared. He'd looked around all the places Momoi normally ventured to until he'd finally gone to the last place he could think of- Seirin High. And by the time he got there, Satsuki was already leaving the school- accompanied by Tetsu. That was when he'd quickly taken his leave before they sighted him. "Should have known she'd run to him."

"Tetsuya-kun?" Mikoto made a guess- it was a rhetorical question, since they both knew the answer. "Figures."

For some reason, that comment set him off- even if it was obvious, the way she said it made it sound almost condescending. Daiki looked up sharply, directing his glare at her once more as he said brusquely, "So? You got something to say or are you just going to sit there?"

"I'm not going to nag you, if that's what you think." Mikoto responded, her eyes meeting his meaningfully. "I think you know better than anyone what went wrong."

Daiki always hated it when he was mistaken- even more so when he knew it to be true. And so, he found himself clicking his tongue in disdain as he tossed his basketball to the side, glowering at the wall across the room. Sure, he had been pissed off at being withheld from the final matches during the Interhigh, but...

"Do you remember that one time- when Satsuki-chan started crying because you put a frog on her head?" Mikoto suddenly spoke up quietly, catching his attention once again. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared at the floor, smiling fondly at the memory from years ago. "You totally freaked out."

"I was just surprised, that's all." Aomine retorted, not willing to admit just how flustered and panicked he'd been when he'd seen Satsuki crying all those years ago. It was the first time he'd ever made her cry, and he'd felt like crap about it. "She's difficult to deal with when she cries."

"Yeah right. You looked like you were having a panic attack trying to calm her down." Here, Daiki shot Mikoto another look as she chuckled good-naturedly- he was surprised to see just how civil and open she was being around him now, given that they'd barely made up over everything just yesterday. "In the end all you needed to do was get her an ice cream, though."

Not quite knowing what she was getting at with this line of conversation, Daiki just scoffed. "You trying to tell me I should get her an ice cream to cheer her up? She'd probably yell at me for trying to make her fat."

"No, but that would be interesting to see." Mikoto's lips quirked upwards at the corners, before her expression turned serious. "I'm just saying... you don't have to do anything big to make it up to her. Even a little bit goes a long way."

This time, Daiki got the message. His eyes went to the wristband on her left hand, catching sight of the glinting bronze basketball charm immediately. After all the hurtful words they'd exchanged and nearly a year of shutting each other out, barely communicating save for a phone call or two, it was hard to believe that all it'd taken was a small gift from him and an apology from her would have been enough to start mending their bond once more. However, Satsuki was a different case altogether...

"Try calling her." Mikoto encouraged, but Aomine was quick to brush off that suggestion.

"She won't pick up." He said, sounding absolutely sure of himself.

"Not if she doesn't suspect that it's you calling."

Before Daiki could ask just what she meant by that, Mikoto suddenly pushed her phone into his hands and answered the question for him. On the glowing screen, Satsuki's number stared back at him- hers was one of the few phone numbers that he had memorized. But even with the solution to the situation before him, Daiki still hesitated to push the button.

"She's not going to forgive me this time." He muttered, remembering the look on Momoi's face once more.

"Yes, she will. You've been her best friend since you two could walk- she could never stay mad at you for long." Mikoto's voice was kind as she spoke, addressing him with a tone that he hadn't heard in a long time. She then patted the phone she had placed in his hands as she assured him, "Trust me on this, Daiki- have a little faith."

With that, the brunette then stood from her seat as she stretched her hands behind her head, apparently having finished saying what she'd had to. Aomine didn't look at her as he stared at the screen of the device in his hands, barely even listening as she headed for the door. "I'm heading to bed now. Got a long journey back home tomorrow- you can give my phone back to me in the morning." She then paused briefly, before he heard her speak in a voice barely above a whisper, "Goodnight, Daiki."

By the time he finally looked up upon hearing those words, she had already closed the door behind her, leaving him in the solitude of his room with nothing but a cellphone in his hands. She had given him the freedom of choice by leaving the room without imposing her preference upon him, and though a part of him argued that he had no need to listen to her... Daiki found himself pressing the 'call' button and placing the phone to his ear anyway.

"Miko-chan? What's up?"

"Satsuki," He greeted curtly, and he heard Momoi inhale sharply on her side of the line, as well. There was no backing out now. "You made it home alright?"

"Er... yeah."

"Huh."

What then ensued was one of the most stilted, awkward conversations Daiki had ever held with his childhood friend. But while he didn't apologize for his actions- he still had every right to be upset- at least Satsuki didn't appear to be all that mad at him.

It may not have been as effective as ice cream, but it still did the trick.

* * *

About an hour later, Daiki found himself quietly opening the door to the guest room as he sought out his cousin's charger- her battery was dying, and his charger was currently occupied by his own device. He normally would have knocked, but upon seeing that the lights in her room were already off he guessed that she was probably already knocked out. And indeed, he was proven right when he entered the room and saw the head of hair barely peaking out from under her pillow- she'd always slept with the cushion over her face instead of beneath her head, for some reason. Weirdo.

Sniffing disdainfully, he then busied himself with locating the charger near the desk next to the bed before connecting the wire to the port- it was difficult for him to move about quietly, but he pulled it off somehow. However, before he stepped back out of the room, he found himself pausing as he glanced down at his cousin's sleeping profile. If she hadn't left her phone to him, he would never have been able to call up Satsuki and speak to her- at least, he wouldn't have done so of his own accord.

"Meddlesome woman." Aomine muttered. However, despite his words there was no venom in his voice. "Always sticking your nose in where it's not wanted..."

The dark-skinned boy then placed his hand on his cousin's head, the gesture uncharacteristically gentle yet familiar. His eyes remained unchanging as he ruffled her hair lightly, being careful not to wake her as he recalled those easier times- the days when he would to do this just to get on her nerves, before they would both laugh it off without any thought.

But things were different now. He couldn't feel that same happiness the way he used to- he was just too tired. Tired of losing the joy he used to feel when he played basketball, tired of fighting the truth, and tired of waiting for something that wasn't going to happen. It was because of all the exhaustion he endured that he had distanced everyone from him. He hadn't meant to do it- hadn't _wanted_ it- but there was nothing that he could do to stop it from happening. He was just too far ahead for anyone to catch up.

The only one who could beat him... was himself.

"Goodnight, Miko." He murmured, before finally tearing himself away from his brief moment of nostalgia. There was no point in lingering on the past- his history with his former teammates had taught him that much. They weren't the same- he was no exception- and nothing would change that. That left nowhere else to go but forward.

When Aomine shut the door behind him, the room was left in nothing but silence... until a small, exasperated voice broke through the stillness, addressing no one in particular as Shirato sighed aloud.

"You know I hate it when you do that, moron."

* * *

**I... am not quite satisfied with the way this chapter turned out. But I couldn't think of a way to fix it, so here it is. Sorry if it's not that great 8'D**

**On another note... *Throws confetti everywhere because holy heck guys, we just reached 200 favourites for this story!*  
I'll be honest here- I never expected this story to receive this much attention. It started out with a chapter I just wrote for the heck of it, with a pairing decided by the throw of a dice (there were too many choices don't judge me), and now... well, this milestone is a first for me, so I'm extremely grateful for all of your support, guys! Thanks for helping me get here- you guys are amazing!  
**

**Shout out to the two Guests, notcrackers, Bliss Autumn, CassieSensei, latereader, The Inner Mind of A Basilisk, Kisecchi, IgniteDream, LincoeAlisson3298, Shattermirror, VanillaMilkshake18, Addicted-to-GazettE, PhoenixRage92, LadyAmazon****,**** lostinthefridge, VixenOfMeiraz, Zecrea, xenocanaan, Multitules, Indirianna and RomanticKissez for the reviews! Again, I always love hearing your opinions, so thank you! This long update goes out to you guys ;D (also I apologize if Aomine seemed sort of OOC. It got... angstier intended 8'D)**

**As for the responses to the anonymous reviews:-**

**Guest (1): Haha, yeah, Murasakibara is totes adorable. Guy's a riot- and a great character to work with, if a bit difficult to write 8'D**

**Kisecchi: Daww thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter- it was pretty fun to write, so it's good to know you liked it. Also, this might be somewhat unrelated, but you wouldn't happen to be Akacchi from the review two chapters ago, would you? XD**

**latereader: Aha, I'm honoured that you think so highly of this story! And yeah, we all know Murasakibara's seiyuu has the voice of an angel. Ironic that his character supposedly 'can't sing', though lolol!**

**Guest (2): Thank you for the review! I hope that this chapter more or less answered your question!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

Satsuki and Daiki both accompanied Mikoto to the bus terminal in the early morning, the former joining the two cousins just as they stepped out of the door to Daiki's home. The bluenette had been pretty grouchy when his parents told him to accompany his cousin to the terminal, but surprisingly he had put up less of a fuss than Mikoto had expected from him- virtually no resistance at all, actually. And from the way Satsuki chattered easily in her usual, cheery fashion throughout the journey, Mikoto assumed that all had gone well between her and Daiki- it was almost as if the spat had never transpired in the first place.

The brunette allowed herself to give a small, secretive smile when Satsuki brought up the topic of shopping after seeing Mikoto off, something that quickly earned Daiki's reproachful grumbling. If there was a reason for Shirato to be grateful for leaving, it was because she didn't have to endure one of Momoi's shopping sprees- the girl really could shop until she dropped.

"By the way, Miko-chan." Satsuki piped up suddenly, swishing the ends of Mikoto's hair from side to side as she walked behind her. "When are you gonna cut your hair? I'm starting to see split ends already!"

"When I feel like it." Mikoto replied absently, more focused on getting to her stop more than anything else. She was a little later than she had intended on being, her usual punctuality disrupted since she'd overslept. To further add to her dismay, the only hair tie she had brought along for the trip snapped when she was trying to tie up her hair that morning. For a stickler like herself, who relied on having everything clean and orderly, this was her equivalent of a terrible way to start the day.

Satsuki tutted at her friend's offhand answer, frowning. "You really need to learn how to take better care of your hair. Do you have any idea how many people would kill for wavy hair like this?"

"Do you have any idea what a pain it is to sort out mess of tangles it forms every morning?"

"Boo. You're just as lazy as Aomine-kun."

"Thank you." Mikoto replied, the same time that Daiki emitted a low grunt of dismissal. He was obviously used to Satsuki's constant nagging.

When the three of them finally got to the stop, Mikoto was faintly surprised to see that her fellow clubmates were already milling around, dumping their luggage into the storage compartment of the bus and bagging their seats. She hadn't expected them to be there so early, but then again she supposed they weren't as fortunate as she was to be able to take her own sweet time preparing to leave while they rushed to check out on time.

"Looks like the team's already assembled." The brunette commented, glancing at her two companions as she pointed between them and her teammates. "You guys want to...?"

"I think we'll stay here, Miko-chan." Satsuki replied, her eyes darting briefly to Daiki before she shot Mikoto a meaningful glance. The boy wasn't really making a show of his discomfort, but the way he seemed to eye Murasakibara with barely concealed caution spoke volumes about his unwillingness to confront his old teammate. Even back in Teiko, Daiki never did get along very well with Murasakibara, though they weren't so much antagonistic as they were unable to communicate. Realizing that it probably wouldn't be wise to allow the two of them to meet under such conditions, Mikoto nodded at Satsuki before she headed towards the bus.

"I'll be right back, then." She called back to the duo before she faced the front again, making a beeline for Coach Araki and Okamura. She had to let them know she was here, at least- the last thing she wanted was to be left behind by Coach Araki if the woman assumed that she was late and thus her own fault if she got stranded in Tokyo. Plus, she had to pass some things to Okamura, too.

"Good morning, Coach. Okamura-senpai."

Araki simply inclined her head in acknowledgement at the greeting, barely looking up as she ticked something off the notebook in her hands- probably the attendance list. Okamura was much more welcoming- he even shot her a grin when he saw her. "Morning, Shirato-san. Oh, hey. You're wearing your hair differently."

"Yeah. My hair tie broke." Mikoto responded, absently touching the ends of her hair- it almost reached her waist when it wasn't in its usual, compact braid. Recalling the reason for her approach to the team captain, the girl then put her travelling bag down before she lifted the separate plastic bag she'd been holding to Okamura, who glanced at it quizzically. "In any case senpai, could you please pass these around on the bus later? I should have made enough for everyone."

"Sure." The burly teenager nodded, accepting the heavy bag she handed to him and carrying it with far more ease than she did. In it were several plastic lunchboxes filled with the daifuku she had made yesterday- her aunt had been considerate enough to let her keep the boxes until their next reunion. "What are they?"

"Strawberry daifuku. I hope you all like them." Mikoto replied, and she didn't miss the way Okamura's eyes lit up at the information.

"Awesome!" He grinned widely at the brunette and gave her a pat on the shoulder that nearly sent her flailing to the floor. The upperclassman probably overestimated the amount of force her small size could handle- or he was too distracted at the prospect of sweets to be more careful. "Thanks, Shirato-san. You're the best!"

"Er, you're welcome." Mikoto rubbed her shoulder experimentally as Okamura hopped onto the bus, probably to start distributing the snacks to whoever was on board... or to get a head start before Murasakibara found out about the goodies. She would have done the same. Turning back to Araki, Mikoto then asked, "Do you need me to do anything, Coach?"

"Nothing particularly difficult." The woman shook her head and sighed, sounding both relieved and exhausted. She must have been looking forward to going home after the tiresome tournament. "Just make sure everyone gets on the bus."

"Alright." Mikoto nodded at her teacher before she left her side. Clearly, Araki wasn't as worried about the team's behaviour as she was when they had first departed from Akita. That, or she just couldn't care less if anyone was dumb enough to miss the bus. Probably the latter.

Suddenly, Mikoto felt a tingle at the back of her neck, as if there were eyes on her. Slowly turning around, she nearly leapt back when she noticed Tatsuya standing barely two feet behind her. She also noticed- with growing apprehension- that he was staring at her intently, his slate eyes expressing curiosity and even fascination, to an extent.

"...What?" She snapped, wondering what sort of smart-alecky comment he was going to reply with next. However, Tatsuya just tilted his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"This is the first time I've seen you with your hair down." He mused, his expression thoughtful. Mikoto suddenly felt extremely self-conscious at his comment, and she instinctively reached up to pat her head to make sure her hair was in place.

"Is it really that big of a surprise?"

"Well, you always keep it tied up. I never even realized it curled at the ends." Tatsuya mused, reaching out to grasp a lock of her chestnut hair between his fingers. Mikoto had to stifle a blush as he continued to gaze at her silently, as if he were examining something highly intriguing. After a few more moments of staring, he finally cracked a smile as he concluded, "It suits you better this way."

"It would get in the way if I left it down all the time." Mikoto replied, feeling even more flustered at the sudden compliment.

"Still, you should consider wearing it differently." He shrugged, brushing her hair behind her ear as he released the few strands he'd been holding. "A braid just doesn't do you justice."

"I'll take that into account." Mikoto muttered in reply. She hesitantly looked back at the spot where she'd left Satsuki and Daiki, and her heart plummeted when she caught sight of them. Satsuki wore an eerily bright grin on her face- she was practically sparkling with glee- while Daiki's scowl had deepened even more than usual as his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Mikoto wasn't sure which reaction she was more afraid of.

"Aren't they going to come over here?" Tatsuya asked, evidently noticing where she was staring.

"Daiki never got along too well with Murasakibara-kun." Mikoto replied, shooting a glance at the violet-haired boy in question as he boarded the bus. Though he hadn't said anything and had remained as apathetic as he normally was, she didn't doubt for a moment that he hadn't noticed Daiki and Satsuki. "And I don't think the extra awkwardness would be worth it."

"I see." Tatsuya nodded as he considered her words. In a sudden move, he then picked up the luggage bag at Mikoto's feet, startling the brunette at the unexpected gesture. Just as she opened her mouth to protest against his actions- as usual- he quickly interrupted her. "I'll help you load your things. You can go say goodbye first."

Mikoto seemed surprised at what he was implying for a moment, hesitating between her pride and her chance to say farewell to her loved ones before she left for home. Knowing that Tatsuya wouldn't relent either way, she just exhaled slowly as she shot the raven-haired teen a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Tatsuya-kun." She touched his arm briefly in a gesture of gratitude before she turned away, heading towards her two companions to bid them goodbye. Mikoto blatantly ignored the wide grin on Satsuki's face as she accepted a hug from the pinkette, feeling somewhat saddened at the prospect of leaving her friend yet again.

"See you, Satsuki-chan. Thanks for everything." Mikoto murmured, before she pulled away from Satsuki. At least, she _tried_ to pull away. Much to her dismay, the girl kept a tight grip around her shoulders as she held her in place, deliberately not letting go.

"Don't think that I don't know what you did, Miko-chan." The younger girl whispered into Mikoto's ear, her tone sugary sweet despite her threatening words. "I appreciate it, but I'll get you back for it next time~"

"W-what kind of gratitude is that?" At this point, Mikoto started to feel really anxious. She knew Satsuki was referring to the fact that she'd deceived her by giving her phone to Daiki, but she'd been doing her a favour! The ends justified the means!

But apparently, Satsuki didn't share the same sentiment.

"Don't worry, you'll thank me." Satsuki assured as she finally released Mikoto, though the latter wasn't quite convinced by her words. Satsuki then changed the subject as she winked suggestively at Mikoto, smirking as she added, "And by the way, you've got quite the catch."

"Shut up." Mikoto muttered, feeling heat rush to her face as she turned away. Stupid Tatsuya and his stupidly misleading actions.

"You didn't look like you were complaining about him getting all touchy-feely." Daiki muttered, sounding almost grouchy. At his words, Mikoto twitched and snapped her head up, matching his scowl with one of her own.

"It wasn't what it looked like!" She hissed.

"I'm calling bullshit on that."

"He's a friend."

"Friends don't go around caressing each others' faces and making goo-goo eyes at each other."

"I was not making 'goo-goo eyes' at him!"

"I wasn't talking about you."

"You're imagining things."

"I'll bet." Daiki didn't sound convinced in the slightest. In response, Mikoto punched his arm- hard enough to make him curse under his breath- and looked away, glaring at the ground. She had a feeling Daiki was doing the same as he slowly stopped cussing, and the two of them were silent for several long seconds.

"...Well?" Satsuki eventually demanded, sounding exasperated as she placed her hands on her hips. "Go on and hug each other already! You guys aren't going to meet again until November- so get to it!"

"What?" Mikoto gave Satsuki a flat stare at her appalling suggestion, before she glanced at her cousin. Daiki looked just as apprehensive at the suggestion of hugging as she did, his face scrunched up in what appeared to be annoyance. His eyes met hers for a moment before he glanced away, clicking his tongue in frustration.

"Just make it quick." He grumbled, catching Mikoto off-guard as he suddenly extended one of his arms, inviting her to embrace him. Mikoto could only stare.

"Since when are you so affectionate?"

"Do you want a damned hug or not?" Daiki snapped, and if it wasn't Mikoto's imagination, it looked like his cheeks were a little pink.

"If you say so." Mikoto murmured, uncertainly stepping closer to him as she attempted to wrap her arms around his torso- she was too short to reach his shoulders. It was a difficult feat to get her arms to encircle him completely- whereas he could do so with just one of his arms- but she managed, somehow.

There was a moment when Mikoto was reminded of a time when Daiki was still smaller than she was- she struggled to carry him so that he could reach the higher shelves and grab the cookies his mother had placed out of their reach. Following that, another memory surfaced- Daiki's first year at Teiko, after his sudden growth spurt. He towered over her, constantly giving her noogies despite her being his upperclassman just because he could, while she in turn could barely free herself until Nijimura taught her how to flip people onto their backs.

Memory after memory followed- him trying to stick his saliva-covered binkie into her mouth as an infant, her covering him with a blanket when he unintentionally fell asleep on the couch while watching basketball matches on TV, him becoming almost hysterical when she sprained her wrist and he thought her hand was broken because he had gotten them into a fight. All of those scenes and more played out in her mind as clear as day, like it had all happened yesterday instead of years ago.

"I'll miss you." Mikoto blurted out before she could stop herself, feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia come over her. However, despite the slight waver in her voice as she said that, she didn't let any other weakness show. Daiki just remained silent, save for a short "hmph" that served as his answer. It may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that Daiki's hold on her tightened ever so slightly.

Eventually, Mikoto finally peeled herself away from the bluenette, maintaining her composure and pretending that she was unaffected by their brief embrace. As she straightened out the long-sleeved blue shirt she wore, she smiled up at both Satsuki and Daiki- it would be a while until she saw them again, and she was glad that they were parting on better terms this time.

"Well, see you guys in winter. Stay in touch!" Mikoto waved, slowly backing away as she headed back for the bus- she'd taken up enough of their time. She had expected that to be the end of it as she began to pick up her pace, but just as she was halfway there, she was proven wrong when a voice called out.

"Miko!"

Her feet froze immediately. Mikoto turned around in surprise, shocked that Daiki would call out to her now. Satsuki wore a similar expression of confusion and astonishment on her face, and even Daiki himself looked slightly uncomfortable, like he wasn't quite sure what he was going for by speaking up.

"What is it?" Mikoto questioned, both eager to know what he had to say and a little worried that her teammates were getting impatient. It looked like most of them were already on the bus, and she didn't want to test Araki's patience. Daiki hesitated a moment longer, as if searching for the words to say, but when he finally spoke Mikoto was surprised.

"Watch out for Pretty Boy over there." He jerked his chin towards the bus, and Mikoto could only guess that he was referring to Tatsuya. "Kick his ass if he tries anything funny."

At that, Mikoto found herself grinning. Of all the things he would say...

"Don't worry. I still have your present." She assured, patting the pocket in which her knuckle duster sat.

"You know when to use it." Daiki nodded approvingly. For a moment, Mikoto could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile flit across Daiki's face, but when she blinked it was gone. Even so, it didn't matter- she knew what she saw. And with that, Mikoto simply nodded before she continued walking back once more, her heart feeling lighter than it had been in a long time.

It wasn't much- virtually nothing when compared to everything else they'd done to antagonize each other. But it was still a start, and that was more than either of them could ask for.

* * *

Tatsuya chewed slowly on the daifuku he had taken from one of the boxes being passed around on the bus, savouring the taste of the traditional Japanese snack that he hadn't eaten in years. It wasn't overly sweet, and the tang of the strawberry in the centre balanced it out nicely. He was definitely eager for the box to be passed around to him again, if Atsushi hadn't already demolished it. That was usually the case with most of the food Mikoto made for them- he only managed to get a bit before his other teammates finished it off. He didn't mind it most of the time, but it did leave him a little unsatisfied.

"Bye-bye, Miko-chan! Say hi to Mu-kun for us!" The girl he recognized as Momoi called after Mikoto, her pink hair swaying slightly as she waved at her friend cheerily. And while Mikoto waved back and continued making her way back to the bus, several of the guys on board were already murmuring about the 'cute, pink-haired chick' and wondering if their manager could introduce them to her attractive friend- if she wasn't already taken by her scary companion. The only ones who weren't mumbling amongst themselves about either the pinkette or the large, imposing boy with her were Atsushi- who just couldn't care less, really - and Tatsuya himself, who never took his eyes off a certain brunette.

The smile that played on her lips was enough to make his own mouth quirk at the corners- it seemed that she was leaving her on a positive note, and he was happy for her. He was unable to relish the feeling of contentment for long however, because at that moment Fukui suddenly came up to him and diverted his attention.

"Say," The vice-captain spoke up as he leaned his elbows over the back of the seat next to Tatsuya, which the latter had deliberately left open for Mikoto. His eyebrows were raised curiously as he followed the second-year's gaze, a wary look on his face. "What's Shirato doing hanging around that guy, anyway?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Tatsuya questioned as he finished off his snack, not quite understanding why Fukui seemed so cautious.

"'Why wouldn't she'?" Fukui sounded utterly appalled at Tatsuya's answer. Jerking his pointer finger towards the window, Fukui continued. "In case you haven't noticed, Himuro- that's Daiki Aomine. Who, by the way, happens to be the Ace of the freaking Miracles."

"So what?" Atsushi interjected before Tatsuya could respond, and the two boys turned to see the boy munching on a daifuku as he mumbled, "Mine-chin is still her cousin, after all."

Sudden silence. And then...

"For real?!"

The loud exclamation came from not only Fukui, but several of the other Yosen players whom had been listening in on the conversation. Tatsuya winced slightly and rubbed his ears- he hadn't expected the sudden rise in volume, but no one noticed his discomfort. They all looked taken aback at the implication, their mouths hanging open as they stared at their manager through the windows of the bus. The moment said girl stepped on board, the piercing gazes of her teammates all fell upon her, and Mikoto suddenly looked as if she was considering getting out again and flagging down a cab instead.

"...Did I miss something?" She asked nervously.

"Y-you're related to that guy?!" Okamura stammered as he pointed out the window and at Aomine. He sounded almost hopeful- like he was expecting Mikoto to go 'sike!' and laugh it off.

"Uh, yeah?" Mikoto nodded, and Okamura's hopes were dashed once more.

"You guys didn't know...?" Tatsuya appeared confused at the surprise the rest of his teammates were all expressing. Now that he thought about it, Mikoto had never actually announced her relation to the Ace of the Generation of Miracles to anyone other than him and Atsushi...

"No one ever mentioned this particular bit of information to us." Liu groused, his arms crossed.

"You guys don't even look anything alike!" Fukui added, scowling as he did so. At that, Okamura's previously sullen expression became one of curiosity, and he placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"Actually, if you imagine that guy with a more feminine figure-"

"Ew. Stop right there." Fukui interrupted immediately before anyone could begin to envision the horrifying image. Unfortunately, his interruption came just a second too late- some of the other guys began cringing uncomfortably at the mental picture. Tatsuya on the other hand shoved his imagination into the farthest recesses of his mind before it could properly manifest itself. Thankfully a distraction came in the form of Coach Araki as she boarded the bus along with the last of the students, leaving Mikoto with no choice but to move forward so that she wasn't blocking the way. Much to Tatsuya's satisfaction, she took the seat beside his without any need for him to offer it in the first place.

"Alright, alright. Enough chatter and get to your seats." The coach waved her hand at the last few guys who were still standing, and they obediently heeded her orders. Araki took a quick glance around the bus to assess that everyone was on board, before she nodded to herself and slipped into her own seat, giving the driver the signal to go. Immediately after the bus started moving, everyone began to speak with each other at once- thankfully, they seemed to have shifted their attention away from Mikoto and had moved on to other subjects.

"I hope the driver doesn't chuck us out the window for being so rowdy."

"I doubt it. He would need a hundred men to toss Atsushi out of the bus." Tatsuya replied, earning a short laugh from Mikoto. They slid into a comfortable silence for a moment as the other team members still rambled on around them, the noise seeming surprisingly natural to Tatsuya- he'd been hanging out with these guys way too much.

"...Hey, Tatsuya-kun." Mikoto broke the silence first, her voice lowered as she called out to him.

"Yeah?" His voice was as quiet as hers when she spoke up- probably wanting this to be a private exchange amidst the chaotic atmosphere. To his surprise however, Mikoto suddenly lay her hand over his before smiling tentatively at him.

Was it just him, or was it starting to feel warm in here?

"I never got to thank you for all your help. I don't think I could have done anything about Daiki if you weren't here."

"I didn't do anything." Tatsuya corrected, but Mikoto shook her head.

"I honestly believe otherwise. I owe you more than you could ever imagine, Tatsuya-kun." Mikoto said, squeezing his hand lightly before she retrieved her own. Himuro didn't let it show, but he felt a slight pang of disappointment when she did so. "Thank you."

The ebony-haired boy simply smiled at her thanks, glad to see that she seemed to be in good spirits after the long week they'd had. Pulling the strings to get her to Tokyo before arriving here himself had been somewhat difficult- especially when he'd had to convince his parents to let him journey to the city by himself- but the results were satisfying. He could live with this- especially if it gained him a few brownie points.

"In that case, you're very much welcome." "A smirk touched his lips, and he lowered his voice teasingly as he added, "My lady."

Mikoto scoffed at that, slapping his arm lightly with the back of her hand as she chided him. "Cheekiness will get you nowhere, knave."

"I'm wounded, my lady. Do you imply that my advances thus far have been for naught?"

"It would be your own fault for pursuing that which is unattainable."

"Are you two making fun of Liu-chin?" Atsushi interjected from his seat across from theirs, startling the duo. They had been unaware that their conversation was actually drawing attention from anyone.

"I beg your pardon?" Liu turned towards them upon hearing his name, and before either Tatsuya or Mikoto could deny anything Atsushi just shrugged and pointed their way.

"They're making fun of the way you speak." He stated, his tone flat. Liu raised an eyebrow at this, and Mikoto immediately raised her hands in a gesture of peace as she attempted to placate her classmate.

"N-no we're not! Honest!"

"I expect nothing less from Himuro, but I thought better of you, Shirato." Liu shook his head, as if he was a parent who disapproved of his child's misbehaviour.

"We really weren't teasing you!" Mikoto insisted, now scowling at Atsushi for instigating such a ridiculous spat. The violet-haired boy seemed unaffected by her stare, simply watching the scene disinterestedly.

"'Nothing less' from me?" Tatsuya muttered, sounding almost offended at Liu's poor opinion of him. "What does that mean?"

"It means what it means." Liu replied calmly, causing Tatsuya's eyes to narrow at his fellow teammate. Liu met the boy's glare head-on, and the boy seated next to the Chinese student actually scooted as far away as he could from him to avoid being caught in the crossfire between him and Tatsuya. Mikoto and Atsushi on the other hand...

"Shira-chin, do you have any more daifuku?"

"Even if I did, there's no way I'd give any to you after what you just did."

"What did I just do?"

"You know very well what you just did."

"I do?"

"You just ratted me out to Liu-kun when I did nothing wrong!"

"So... I don't get any more daifuku?"

"Ugh!"

"Y'know, I think Murasakibara started that on purpose." Okamura commented quietly to his vice-captain as he watched Shirato throw her hands up in frustration, making a strangling gesture with them as she appeared to try and choke Murasakibara through sheer willpower.

"You_ think_?" Fukui asked, sarcasm heavily lacing his voice. Okamura just sighed at that and rubbed his face tiredly- the second-years were totally playing into Murasakibara's hand and they had no idea. Heck, he doubted that even Murasakibara knew it.

"These kouhais are gonna be the death of us someday." He mumbled to himself, and this time Fukui had to agree.

"You're telling me."

And with that, the Yosen team continued on their usual loud and raucous way, while their driver staunchly resisted the urge to fling himself out of the window through the strength of sheer willpower to withstand these noisy teenagers and Coach Araki took a long, well-deserved nap in her seat as they finally headed back home.

* * *

There were things that Mikoto liked, and things that she hated. Most of the time, she liked to believe that the former outweighed the latter by quite a hefty bit, but who was she kidding- she hated many things. Untidiness, arrogant people, hamsters... and gossip.

Oh, boy did she hate gossip. Especially on this particular morning after her return to gymnastics club, the majority of which she had spent trying to go through her regular routine only for her ears to be attacked by murmurings and whispers all around her every time she walked by. As things stood, she was upset that even during summer break her gymnastics practices overlapped with those of the basketball club- which were already numbered as they were. But what really added the cherry on top of her sundae of utter frustration was the fact that the circulating rumours were all about the same bloody thing...

"Did you hear the rumour about Shirato and Himuro?"

"You bet! Who hasn't?"

"I've even seen them walking home together after school almost everyday."

"You don't think they really are..."

"Why not? I think they look good together."

"No way. Himuro-kun is way out of her league."

Mikoto breathed in deeply, urging herself to keep her temper in check as she took off her grips. She had to wonder how it had taken so long for all these rumours to bloom. Her routine of walking to the station with Tatsuya had started months ago, and the speculation was only spreading now? During freaking summer break?

She must have been more invisible than she'd thought. High school was such a drag.

"Who does she think she is anyway?" A snide voice commented, causing Mikoto to freeze. At that, the brunette finally lost her patience, snapping her head up as she scowled at the girl who had spoken. She didn't know what her name was, but that didn't matter- she wasn't going to let anyone undermine her.

"I'm the manager of Yosen High's basketball team." She declared with conviction, making sure she spoke louder than usual so that the others who had been talking about her as well would hear what she had to say. "And I believe that any business I have with its members should be spoken of more civilly and to my face if I am in the vicinity, instead of being announced as if I were not here."

The girl who had initially presented the question had the decency to look embarrassed, shuffling back a few steps as if she was trying to to blend in with the rest of her friends. However, Mikoto nearly grimaced externally when another one of the girls stepped forth- a girl she had the misfortune of recognizing.

Wonderful. Yuki Enoshima, a first year student and also a member of Tatsuya's unofficial fan club. Not one of Shirato's favourite people.

"What keeps him so interested in you, Shirato? Are you that good at keeping him entertained?" Enoshima's voice dripped with arrogance, and Mikoto resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the dark-haired girl's rudeness. She didn't even address her with any of the appropriate suffixes, despite the age gap between them. Mikoto didn't bother to answer Enoshima's prodding as she simply continued to dust off her grips, but the younger girl seemed to take this as a sign of submission as she continued.

"I bet you joined the basketball team just to get Himuro-kun's attention, huh? You're so desperate it's almost a pity, really. Do you really think you're something special just because he seems interested in you now? He's just stringing you along- once he gets bored you're just going to be pushed to the side like some used tool. That's all you are to a guy like him."

Mikoto initially planned on walking off, ignoring all the insults thrown her way. But the moment Enoshima voiced her opinions on what she assumed to be Himuro's intentions, there was a sudden change of plans as Mikoto turned on Enoshima without warning, catching the latter by surprise.

Mikoto could handle insults being hurled her way. Insulting her friends- be it indirectly or otherwise- was something she wouldn't stand for.

"'A guy like him'?." Mikoto asked, her voice level but holding an edge that wasn't there before. "Your implication that Tatsuya-kun would do things like that only serves to prove your ignorance. In fact, it's nearly laughable how deluded you are."

For a moment, Enoshima seemed to get herself together enough to try and attempt a comeback. But the moment she opened her mouth, Mikoto swiftly stepped up to her until she was forced to take a step back, her blue eyes burning with fury despite her deceptively calm expression.

"Did you ever think that maybe he's just as human as the rest of us? That he's not some untouchable, perfect idol? No- you're so blinded by your false impressions and fantasies that you fail to see the real qualities that make Tatsuya-kun a man worthy of the attention he is given. And _that_ is the real pity here." Mikoto's calmness was contradicted by her body language- her posture was firm, and her fists were clenched at her sides. Her voice was cold as she added with finality, "Do yourself a favour, Enoshima-chan- think before you speak next time."

Enoshima was stumped. For a moment, she just stood there, trying to find her voice again- her group of friends behind her wore similar expressions as well. Whether it was her brief flash of anger that silenced her or the truth behind her words, Mikoto did not know. She didn't care either way, and so she simply backed away and composed herself before turning on her heel, not willing to continue this conversation any longer. If the rumours would still continue to spread, she couldn't care less anymore- she had just wanted to make her stand clear, and she had. To her, that was the end of it.

On the other side of the gym, Hinata Matsuki watched with a solemn expression as Shirato headed to the benches, sitting herself down and not looking the least bit fazed by the stares she was getting. Her spat with Enoshima had attracted quite a bit of attention despite how short it had been- heck, she hadn't even been able to step in since it was over almost as quickly as it had started- but she wasn't blind to the way her friend had been so quick to stand up for Himuro. She had seemed fine with the degrading comments Enoshima threw her way, but the moment Himuro's merit was questioned Shirato looked like she was ready to rip Enoshima a new hole. It sparked her curiosity, but there was something else that garnered Hinata's attention- or rather, someone else.

Hinata's lips thinned as her eyes were carefully trained on Enoshima. Various emotions flickered across the first-year's face- shock, followed by outrage, hatred... and then nothing at all. The girl simply headed back to her group of friends as if nothing was wrong, and if Hinata didn't know any better she would say that Enoshima was just trying to maintain her image in the eyes of her buddies. But there was something that didn't sit well with the gymnastics captain- something about the grudging look in Enoshima's green eyes that made her extremely uncomfortable.

Call it paranoia, but Hinata decided then and there that she would have to keep an eye on Yuki Enoshima. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

* * *

Tatsuya was having a bad day.

He'd started off his morning hoping that everything would progress normally. But no- he just had to get into a spat with his parents about his studies and focusing less on basketball. He really did try his best to balance his schoolwork and his club activities, and while his grades weren't great, they were still acceptable. But even so, there was no way he was going to cut back on practising now- not when he had the chance to finally cut ties with Taiga at the Winter Cup. His parents had started out stern when they tried to change his mind, but as the argument progressed that strictness slowly began to mingle with tones of sadness, and eventually pity...

He hated that most of all. He didn't want to make his parents upset- especially his mother- but that look of pity on their faces just rubbed him the wrong way. He wanted them to hear him out, but he loathed seeing that damned look of regret on their faces every time he evicted even the slightest hint of dismay. They were trying- he understood that, he really did. But how did he ever expect them to take him seriously if every time they looked at him, they were always going to look at him and see nothing but that five year-old boy, crying out in agony as he clutched his face in pain-

"Still not quitting yet?"

Tatsuya abruptly snapped himself out of his dark thoughts when the sound of Mikoto's voice reached his ears, and he absently wiped away a drop of sweat trickling down his face as he turned towards her. Several basketballs were littered around on the floor of the court- he'd been practising his Mirage Shot continuously for a while now, but he'd lost track of time as he fell into a repetitive motion. Much to his surprise, his breathing was more burdened than he realized, rivulets of sweat trailing down his face and neck and pooling at the small of his back. He spared a glance at the clock hanging on the wall above the entrance, and when he noted the time his ire flared- he'd been at it for less than half an hour, yet he was already feeling this exhausted? He really had to work on his stamina.

"I can't slack off." He murmured- more to himself than to Mikoto- as he grabbed another ball from the portable ball locker next to him.

"Did you at least eat some of the lemons before Murasakibara-kun finished them off?" Mikoto asked, only catching a sliver of Tatsuya's attention at this point.

"I had my fill." He replied shortly- a lie, he had been so focused on practising that day that he hadn't even gotten a piece of those honey-soaked lemons before they were finished off. When he attempted to release the first throw of his Mirage Shot from the two-point line, it missed the basket, and a scowl twisted Tatsuya's features as he cursed internally- this wasn't good enough. He had to be able to get every shot in, or else his technique would amount to nothing.

"You're really pushing yourself." Mikoto spoke up again, this time coming closer to him as she did so. Tatsuya remained silent as she eyed him cautiously, as if searching his face for answers- Tatsuya made sure to keep his expression as blank as possible. Sensing his obstinacy, Mikoto sighed and shook her head at him. "Take five. You're sweating like crazy."

"I can handle it." Tatsuya responded, turning away to fetch another basketball. But Mikoto beat him to the chase as she shut the locker and halted his actions, forcing him to look at her as she refused to budge. Tatsuya felt a twinge of annoyance at that- why couldn't she just leave him be?

"Tatsuya-kun, a short break won't impede your progress." Mikoto insisted, ignoring the boy's displeased frown. "Doing your best is good, but overworking yourself will only cause harm."

"My best doesn't ensure my victory."

"Neither does over-exertion." Mikoto refuted, before a look of realization crossed her face. "If this is because of the fact that you'll be facing Kagami-kun at the Winter Cup-"

"Don't." Tatsuya interrupted immediately, his eyes flashing dangerously at the mention of Taiga. "Don't use him as an excuse against me."

"That's not what I'm trying to do." Mikoto defended, her voice becoming a little strained as she tried to placate him. "Just listen, alright? I'm not trying to antagonize you. There's a lot on the line, I get that. But you have to know where your limits lie."

At those words, Tatsuya felt his jaw clench. That was the wrong thing to say.

"You think I don't know that?" He hissed, startling Mikoto with his venomous tone. He didn't mean to sound so bitter, but he couldn't help himself- he had heard that far too many times, and the worst part was that he wasn't blind to the harsh reality of it all. He could work all day and night, trying and trying to exceed his limits, but he couldn't- not without that natural talent that Atsushi and the other Miracles possessed. It didn't matter how he felt or how much blood, sweat and tears he shed- an average person could only go so far, and he would never be anything beyond average. "I'm not a fool, Mikoto-chan. I know better than anyone what the extent of my skills are."

"Then you should know that overcoming those limits take time- you can't just force yourself to improve in a day." Mikoto implored, trying to make him see sense. "Stop letting your pride blind you."

"I don't need to hear this kind of hypocrisy from someone who couldn't even face their own cousin until they were left with no other option." Tatsuya snapped back without thinking. When he realized what he'd said, he nearly swore aloud at his careless slip of the tongue- the hurt expression that crossed Mikoto's face managed to instill a sense of guilt in him despite his foul mood. However, just as quickly as that look had crossed the girl's face it disappeared, and in its place was the stoic mask she always used when she raised her defences.

"In that case," Mikoto's voice was steady, but utterly unfeeling as she finally chose to withdraw her argument before it could escalate. "I'm sorry to have bothered you- it won't happen again. I think I'll just... head home first."

It was the easy way out- a facade to end things quickly without truly resolving anything. And that frustrated Tatsuya even more than it would have if she'd just snapped back at him, because it reminded him of something all too familiar...

_"Can you ever forgive me, Tatsuya?"_

_"Well, I suppose can't hold it against you forever."_

_"Tatsuya-"_

_"I'd best be going now- I've got to go train with Taiga today. I'll be back later, dad!"_

_"...Alright."_

Tatsuya's jaw clenched when Mikoto turned away, heading back to the bench to fetch her things and leave. Without any warning, Tatsuya found himself closing the distance between him and the manager as he planted his hand on her shoulder, stopping her movements and forcing her to face him.

"You can't keep putting on that mask and hope that everything will settle on its own, Mikoto-chan. It doesn't work that way!" Tatsuya didn't mean to, but he found his voice raising slightly as he spoke. However, even in his temperamental state he still had the sense to loosen his grasp on Mikoto's arm when he saw her wince. "Get upset, yell at me, whatever- just be honest with yourself!"

Mikoto didn't respond for a while, her initial expression of shock turning into one of careful passivity. Just when he thought she wasn't going to respond, however...

"...And you called me the hypocrite?"

Her tone was empty as she spoke- less of a question and more of a statement. Tatsuya's own face went slack at that accusation, his grip on her shoulder slowly loosening until his arm fell to his side once more. The moment she was free to move Mikoto backed away, not even looking him in the eye anymore. A slow exhale escaped her lips- a sigh, almost- and she simply turned around to pick up her bag, still not looking at Tatsuya as she hefted it over her shoulder.

"Holding back isn't always the honest thing to do, but sometimes it can also stop the situation from getting worse until you figure things out. I thought you would understand that, Tatsuya-kun." Shirato's voice was quiet as she reached into her pocket, taking out her set of spare keys to the gym and placing them on the bleachers. Without turning around, she then headed towards the exit as she continued. "Lock up when you're done."

She left, and Tatsuya didn't stop her.

As the door to the gym shut quietly behind Mikoto, the shooting guard could only stare at the spot where she had left her keys... right next to a spare lunchbox. His expression remained blank as he walked over to the seat, picking up the tupperware and opening it to reveal its contents- and nearly did a double take. It was an untouched box of the honey-soaked lemons Mikoto had brought in earlier, miraculously saved from Atsushi's appetite.

She would never have left that for him by accident- angered or not, she wasn't that absent minded. She could have taken it with her just to spite him, but she hadn't. Even when he'd practically chased her away... she still cared.

That was when Tatsuya slowly sank onto the bench as he pushed the tupperware aside, lowering his head into his hand when the weight of the situation finally hit him.

He had just screwed up. Big time.

* * *

**Omake:**

_Daiki stared after Mikoto's bus as it departed, wearing a disapproving frown on his face. From where he stood, he had been able to make out the forms of the students on the bus earlier. For a while, he had been focused on Murasakibara, whose usually outstanding head of purple hair was only just visible as he sat on the side of the bus opposite of one facing Daiki. However, his attention had quickly been stolen when he noticed Mikoto taking a seat next to the guy she had been talking to earlier. His eye twitched upon the observation- why was she hanging out with that creep? Hadn't he just warned her about the guy? That shameless flirt who had the nerve to lay his grubby hands on his cousin... Why, he ought to break his scrawny little fingers one by o-_

_"Aomine-kun, are you listening to me?"_

_Satsuki's annoyed tone successfully drew Daiki's attention away from his menacing ideas. The girl was pouting at him, her arms crossed with her hip jutting out slightly to one side in her usual no-nonsense pose that demanded his attention. From the looks of it, she'd been talking to him for a while- he'd just shut her voice out without thinking._

_"What?" He asked, though he really wasn't sure he wanted to know. Satsuki sighed, probably aware that he hadn't been listening the whole time._

_"I said, we should have plenty of time to drop by the mall now. You need to get a new pair of sneakers too, right?" Satsuki repeated patiently, already used to her best friend's dismissing attitude._

_"Yeah, whatever." Daiki scratched the back of his neck absently, turning towards the entrance of the terminal building to lead way back to the commuter station. Satsuki would probably want to go to her favourite district, and since he did have to pick up a new pair of shoes he figured he could endure the pain of shopping with her for a little while before he started complaining. "Let's go."_

_Though Satsuki seemed carefree, even humming quietly to herself as she walked alongside him, Daiki was the exact opposite. Try as he might to distract himself, he just couldn't get rid of the image of that overconfident, dark-haired youth as he so blatantly made a move on Mikoto. A dreadful thought haunted his mind- what if Mikoto actually fell for that guy's flirtations? What if he took advantage of her ignorance and strung her along? The idea of that creep even standing within three feet of his cousin was enough to get on Daiki's nerves, but if the fellow actually got his way with Mikoto..._

_Like hell Daiki was going to sit aside and just let that happen. Pretty Boy had to know his place._

_"Satsuki." Daiki called out suddenly, and Satsuki halted her humming to glance at him inquiringly. She was surprised to see the strange resolve in her companion's eyes, but she didn't directly question it as she responded._

_"Yeah?"_

_"The next time these guys come around, we're having a chat with Miko's so-called 'friend'. Got it?"_

* * *

**AN: ...There is no excuse for my lateness except my own laziness. Also the fact that I'll be back to school and have been spending every waking hour completing the Pokedex in Pokemon Crystal. LIFE WELL SPENT-**  
**No, but seriously guys- sorry for the late update after all those consecutive ones. Also to everyone who has messaged me, I have read your messages and I will reply to them as soon as possible! It's been a busy few weeks for me, so I'm sorry it took so long. I also apologize for the amount of drama in this chapter, but it was sort of necessary for what I have planned for the future. So until then... enjoy as much as you can? 8'D**

**Shout out to xenocanaan, dayanayaacob, VixenOfMeiraz, solitarysarcasm, chibi-no-baka, Shattermirror, PhoenixRage92, The Inner Mind Of A Basilisk, invisible-gurl, darkxXxflames, IgniteDream, RK, LincoeAlisson3298, Chocogirl24, VanillaMilkshake18, Bliss Autumn, ashleybruch5, UntiedHeartbeat, Guest** **(**...If that last chapter made you cry I am so sorry about this one lmao. But thank you for leaving a review! XD**), Indirianna, Noiz Viruz, SnowstormX, nymphomaniac, Prince-ZuChiRu, Tamani and bluheat for reviewing! You guys are the best- hearing your feedback really makes my day uwu**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC. **

When she was younger, Mikoto used to watch whatever it was her parents wanted to see on TV simply out of curiosity. Back then she'd noticed a couple of things- firstly, that her dad liked watching documentaries, and she was always glad whenever he took hold of the remote and flipped to one of the more educational channels (unless she had been watching her own show first, in which case she would resign herself to sulking quietly in her seat). And secondly, that her mom had a thing for drama series, which Mikoto had an inclination to dislike most of the time.

Even as a kid, she had cringed at the thought of being so helpless on her own like one of those damsel-in-distress female protagonists she saw in said dramas, who so desperately sought out love as if they couldn't live without it- Mikoto much preferred the strong heroines in her cartoons who didn't take nonsense from anyone and kicked butt while they were at it- and she'd sworn back then that she would never, ever cry over a guy the way she saw those overly dramatic characters on TV did.

But now, at the age of seventeen, Mikoto realised that she had not only done so already- the first over several guys, at that- but that she had also been very close to doing so for yet another time.

After her fight with Tatsuya, the girl had gone home only to be greeted by her dearest companion as Toshi jumped on her, slathering her with his slobbery dog kisses. While Mikoto normally would have laughed it off and chided the canine for his unruly conduct, the girl had found herself clutching her dog tightly, burying her face into Toshi's fur coat as she desperately ignored the prickling feeling at the back of her eyes. There was no way she was going to allow herself to cry over someone as idiotic as Tatsuya Himuro. No way in hell.

But that still didn't explain why she'd felt as upset as she did.

Things became strange after that. The following practices, Tatsuya barely even looked at her as she went about her duties. Laundry, ball-cleaning, preparing lunch, planning regimens- she focused on her tasks with her usual diligence, and while she didn't abandon interaction with her teammates, she just couldn't bring herself to approach Tatsuya. They didn't walk to the station together anymore either, since she usually left along with the others instead of waiting up for him like she usually did.

She didn't want to prove him right by avoiding him until she was cornered, but she had no idea what to say. And no, passing out the laundry and telling him "here's your jersey" did not count as talking to him.

"You're skipping basketball practice today."

A lilting, playful voice shook Mikoto out of her thoughts and she turned her head curiously- Matsuki had bounded up to her as she was doing stretches on the floor mat, and from her current bridge position it looked to her as though her captain were upside down. In spite of that Matsuki still wasn't deterred as she gazed at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. Mikoto just sighed and lowered herself onto the mat, smoothing her bangs back as she sat up.

"Tuesday practice overlaps with basketball club." She replied, stretching her legs out in front of her before touching her head to her knees. Unfortunately, Matsuki wasn't quite deterred by her blatant discouragement from continuing the conversation as she plopped herself next to the brunette, continuing to pester her with her- annoyingly accurate- reasoning.

"You alternate each week. You're supposed to be with your band of basketball geeks today."

"Guess I changed my mind." Mikoto responded, wishing that Matsuki would drop the subject. She really didn't want to talk about her reason for skipping basketball practice that week- in fact, shouldn't Matsuki be glad that she was liaising with their team instead of the basketball club?

Apparently not.

"Something's on your mind." The third-year stated, shifting her position so that she now sat in front of the younger girl as she straightened up again. Her dark eyes trailed over Mikoto's face searchingly, as if staring at her long enough would explain the reason for her nonchalant attitude towards the basketball team. Mikoto huffed and just twisted her torso to the right, avoiding eye contact with Matsuki and hoping that she would finally give up on pursuing the subject.

"Is someone on the team bothering you? Himuro-kun, maybe?"

Mikoto's cheek twitched at that- how did she come to that conclusion? Granted, she wasn't wrong, but still...

"Why does it always come back to him?"

"Because, he's the only one you'd act this way around."

Two strikes in a row. Matsuki was a lot brighter than Mikoto gave her credit for.

"It's not a big deal, Matsuki-chan. I'm fine." Mikoto insisted, finally looking back at her friend as she turned around. She just wanted to get on the bars and forget the horribly awkward week she'd had, hesitating between calling Tatsuya and apologising or standing her ground because she hadn't done anything wrong besides looking out for a friend.

When it became evident that Mikoto wasn't going to elaborate on the subject any further, Matsuki sighed. "Fine. But you can talk to me if you want to, alright?" Her voice then softened as she added, "I'm here for you."

Realising Matsuki's honest concern for her, Mikoto tucked some of her hair behind her ear, a little uncertain of how to respond to this gesture of kindness. She acknowledged Matsuki as one of her closer friends, but still... this was sort of strange. In a good way.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem." The blonde then stretched her hands above her head and got to her feet, groaning a little as she flexed the muscles in her back. "Well, in any case- I want to see how your routine has been going. How's about it?"

"I'm not joining the next competition. You don't have to oversee my training."

"What can I say? I'm a great person that way." Matsuki shrugged, earning a look from Mikoto that made her grin playfully. "Come on- show me what you've got, kouhai. Let's see if you're any closer to overtaking me."

Despite herself, Mikoto smiled as she nodded at her friend.

"Fine. Just give me a second."

After doing a few more stretches to work out the kinks in her muscles, Mikoto stood and pulled on her grips, strapping them firmly to her wrists. As she walked towards the chalk tray next to the parallel bars, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Enoshima was watching her- for what reason, she couldn't say. Maybe she was still mad about the way she had exploded when she'd brought up Tatsuya-

No. She wasn't going to even think about him at the moment.

Mikoto adjusted the position of the dowel in her palm, making sure that it fit more comfortably in her grasp. Using the spray bottle, she wet her grips properly before coating them in chalk... however, there was something strange- her hands felt a little weird. Mikoto frowned and dusted some more chalk onto them, but it didn't seem to make the feeling go away. Maybe it was just her grips- they were getting sort of worn after all these years of use, anyway.

Thinking nothing of it, Mikoto hoisted herself into a front support on the lower bar, starting out with a simple front circle to get into the rhythm of things- but it wasn't so easy. Not only did the odd feeling in her grips force her to hold on to the bar a little tighter than usual, she was also committing several amateur errors- her thigh rammed into the bar when she attempted a free hip circle, she couldn't lift herself into the proper pike position, and most of all she almost missed the high bar when she leapt to it.

Mikoto could have sworn that her heart stopped for a moment just before she managed to wrap her fingers around the bar when she made the leap- her hands had slid on the low bar just before she released it, and it nearly ruined her timing.

She could almost feel Matsuki frowning as she observed her- Mikoto shouldn't be making this many mistakes, and she knew it. And as much as Mikoto wanted to blame her conflicted state of mind for hindering her walkthrough, she was beginning to feel very suspicious when she finally registered the sticky feeling in her palms.

...Sticky? That couldn't be right. Even if her hands were sweating, this was not how they were supposed to feel. No- something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

The moment she realised this, Mikoto tried to stop and get off high bar immediately- that was her mistake. She rushed her dismount before she could slow the speed from the momentum she had gathered from the jump, and because of her sticky grips, her hands slipped.

Mikoto barely had time to even register her shock before she crashed into a heap the ground, the floor mats doing little to cushion her fall as her leg twisted awkwardly beneath her. A pained cry escaping her lips when she felt a sharp pain jolt up her right ankle as a result, and she struggled to get into a proper sitting position so that she could get her weight off her foot. But even as she did so she was still aware of the strange feeling on her hands that still hadn't disappeared, only now the stickiness felt even worse than before. She didn't understand- what was going on?! Her grips were secure, and they should have been fine after she used the chalk-

The chalk. Her hands should have been perfectly dry after chalking them, but this time...

"Shirato-chan!" Matsuki's frantic voice broke Mikoto out of her brief moment of realisation, and the girl blinked away the dark spots from her vision just in time to see the blonde captain falling to her knees beside her. All of the other gymnasts had halted their activities and had crowded around her as well upon the commotion, though none of them dared wander to close. Matsuki's hand hovered over Mikoto's ankle, her expression hesitant through her shock. "This is-"

"Don't!" Mikoto gasped, startling Matsuki just before the latter could attempt to lay her hand on her injury. "Don't touch it. I think I may have sprained it..." Another stab of pain shot through Mikoto's leg when she tried to flex her foot, drawing another groan from the girl. "Okay, more than just 'sprained'."

"Somebody call the nurse! Get the first aid kit here, stat!" Matsuki barked out, and Mikoto noticed a couple of girls snapping out of their stupor as they separated from the crowd, running off to fulfil their captain's orders. Focusing back on her injured friend, Matsuki laid a hand on Mikoto's back to support her as the brunette started to lean back, a sudden fatigue overwhelming her as the adrenaline rush drained away. The pain was hitting her full force now, and Mikoto was pretty sure that this much pain did not mean good news.

"What happened here?" The blonde asked, sounding both confused and worried. Mikoto's head immediately snapped up at the question- she knew she had to tell Matsuki. If anyone could make sense of this whole situation, it was her.

"T-the chalk. Something's wrong with it." Mikoto's voice trembled slightly, but her reply was clear. Matsuki's eyes sharpened at the new piece of information, and she quickly instructed her vice-captain to take her place as she went to inspect the chalk tray. The captain's expression was set as she examined the powdery granules intently- that was when she saw it. The shinier, more crystalline grains that were barely noticeable amidst the finer chalk particles. It wasn't until she experimentally rubbed her fingers into the mixture that she recognised the sticky, slippery feeling on her skin that was caused as a result of the friction and sweat on her hands.

"...Sugar." The blonde muttered, her eyes widening as she recognised the substance that had been combined with the chalk. It was a method of cheating that she'd seen in a competition several years ago, but for someone to use it now... "Someone mixed sugar into it."

"What?!" Reiko Komatsu- the first-year who had returned with the medical kit and was now bandaging Shirato's foot- hissed, sounding horrified at the idea of sabotage within their club. "That's crazy! Why would anyone try to..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as she shook her head in disgust. Hinata shared the sentiment.

"Who was the last one to change the tray?" She demanded, her eyes trailing over the surrounding gymnasts carefully. However, the captain had a sinking feeling that she knew the answer to that all too well...

"It was Yuki!" Another girl cried out, and all eyes turned on her before the attention shifted to Enoshima. The young girl's face was pale, and she looked almost terrified as all the accusing gazes of her peers fell upon her. "I saw her earlier, in the locker room!"

"I-I didn't mean to hurt her!" Enoshima struggled to form a coherent sentence, and her eyes were wide and fearful as she tried to explain herself. "I thought- I thought it would just throw her off or-"

"Save your explanation for later, Enoshima." Hinata cut her off before she could finish, fixing the girl with an unforgiving glare. "You've got a lot to answer for."

The rare display of ferocity on the captain's part was enough to make Enoshima cringe as she lowered her head shamefully, as if she were trying to hide from the looks she was getting but had nowhere to go. Despite her anger at the younger student, Hinata forced herself to save the lecture burning on the tip of her tongue for another time- there were other matters that required her attention.

Besides, the disdainful looks Enoshima was receiving from the rest of the team was enough punishment for now. It looked like even her usual acquaintances weren't standing up for her at this point.

"Shirato-chan, how are you holding up?" Hinata asked as she approached the brunette still sitting on the ground. She exchanged a look with her vice-captain, and her fellow upperclassman shook her head ever so slightly. They were both the oldest in the club, and they'd seen enough accidents occur among fellow gymnasts as well as experienced such falls firsthand to be able to deduce how bad an injury was. Judging from the looks of it... it was bad.

"It's bearable." Mikoto assured, though her strained voice did little to convince anyone. "Just... give me a minute."

Another look was shared between Hinata and and her second in command. It was plain as day to everyone Shirato was going to need more than just 'a minute' to get over this accident.

* * *

The ball fell through the basket as Himuro made yet another shot from the two-point line, testing out his Mirage Shot on his teammates to get a better feel of using it in a real match. So far, not even Atsushi had been able to stop the throw, and it should have delighted him. Instead, that was all overshadowed by a dark and heavy cloud over his mind.

Five days. It had been five damned days since Mikoto had spoken a word to him. And no, "here's your jersey" did not count. Even when she had been avoiding him after he'd won their bet, it hadn't been this bad. Back then she'd been absolutely furious, but this time she was just... waiting. And he didn't know what to do about it.

Had calling her a hypocrite and using her cousin against her been a stupid move? Yes. Should he have kept his temper in check? Definitely. Was he going to apologise?

...That was a question he couldn't quite decide on the answer to.

"Muro-chin."

Atsushi's lazy drawl caught Tatsuya's attention as they exchanged places with several second string guys on the bench. He simply inclined his head towards the younger male to acknowledge that he was listening before reaching for a nearby towel, being careful not to move his bangs out of his face as he wiped at his sweaty face.

"What is it, Atsushi?"

"Why didn't Shira-chin show up today?"

Tatsuya paused for a brief moment, but he recovered quickly and answered. "She has gymnastics practice, remember?"

"But she's supposed to be with us today." Atsushi pointed out, before uncapping a water bottle he had retrieved from a box and downing its contents. Despite the innocence of his statement, Tatsuya found his patience wearing thin at his insistent badgering.

"I don't know, then." He retorted, before fixing Atsushi with a look. "Why are you asking me?"

Despite his harsh gaze, Atsushi seemed completely unaffected by his friend's coldness as he shrugged. "You've been really serious all day. I thought something happened between you two."

"It's nothing you have to be concerned about." Tatsuya responded coolly.

"Did you two fight?"

The raven-haired boy gripped his towel a little harder at the reminder. Atsushi wasn't wrong, but there was no need for him to know that.

"I'd rather not talk about this, Atsushi." This time, his response was clipped and short, his impatience showing through the cracks in his facade. Anybody else would have backed off by then, but Atsushi was not just anybody- and his unusually thick skin kept him going as he addressed the elusive second-year.

"You two have to talk sooner or later." He shrugged, sitting down on the bleachers as he rested his elbows on the row of seats behind him. He seemed unusually calm as he lay his head back- a stark contrast to Tatsuya, who was tensed up like a snake ready to lash out in self-defence. "Shira-chin's still our manager."

"I am aware of that." Tatsuya muttered, dropping into the seat next to Atsushi as he lay his towel aside. The violet-haired boy just turned his head towards him without moving from his relaxed position, but despite the apparent apathy he was displaying Tatsuya knew he was expecting him to say more. Suppressing a scowl, Tatsuya just reached for a water bottle from the nearby box as he replied. "I just said some things I shouldn't have, and I upset her. She needs time to cool off."

For a few seconds, Atsushi seemed to be appeased by that, as silence fell between the two boys. But then the young centre surprised Tatsuya when he sighed as well, turning his head back to stare at the ceiling of the gym again.

"Shira-chin seems fine to me. Maybe she's not the one who needs to 'cool off'."

Tatsuya lips thinned as he turned his bottle over and over in his hands, the only sign that he had acknowledged Atsushi's words. Tatsuya couldn't help but feel annoyed at this predicament- Atsushi was supposed to be the one who didn't really give a damn about anything that happened, yet here he was, blatantly hinting at him to grow up and make peace with Mikoto already. Sure, he hadn't put it that way, but the message was obvious.

The most frustrating part? Deep down, he knew Atsushi had a point.

Before Tatsuya could attempt to respond, the sound of the doors to the basketball court being flung open reached his ears, and everyone turned towards the source of the noise immediately. A girl dressed in a leotard and shorts was looking around frantically, her eyes wide.

"Is Araki-sensei here?!" She asked, nearly tumbling over her words as her eyes darted around.

"She went to the faculty office to retrieve something." Okamura was the first to answer as he noticed the way the girl seemed to deflate at those words. "Is something wrong?"

"One of our members got hurt." The girl was now clutching at her hair as she seemed to panic even more. This bit of information caught everyone's interest, and even Tatsuya raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "We can't find the nurse, and Araki-sensei usually..."

"Was it bad?" Fukui stepped forth as the girl trailed off, his brow furrowing.

"I-I'm not sure." The girl shook her head. "But Shirato-san seemed to be-"

"Shirato?" Liu spun around immediately, as did the rest of the basketball members.

Tatsuya, on the other hand, froze.

"Yeah. Her leg is in pretty bad s-"

The girl didn't even get to finish again before a figure dashed past her and out the door, earning a startled yelp from her as she jumped back. But for once, the usually polite Tatsuya Himuro didn't spare her a second glance or an apology as his feet carried him out into the hallway, the surprised protests of his teammates falling on deaf ears. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was to get to Mikoto.

* * *

"Mikoto-chan!" Tatsuya called out as he burst throught the doors to the gymnasium, scanning the place intently. The moment he saw the crowd gathered by the bars, he completely ignored everything else as he zeroed in on the centre of the commotion, nearly shoving his way through the other gymnasts to get a closer look. When he caught sight of Mikoto, his eyes widened in shock as he observed the paleness of her face and her bandaged foot- it was worse than he'd imagined. Even through the bandages, it was evident that the swelling was bad. Though the brunette wasn't grimacing or crying out, her jaw was clenched tightly- clearly, the pain from her injury was taking its toll on her.

"Are you alright?" Tatsuya asked as he kneeled by her side, automatically blurting out the usual question despite how obviously _not_ alright she was. Even in the midst of her pain, Mikoto still found the strength to shoot him an exasperated look, making him feel like a complete idiot despite how toned down her glare normally was.

"If someone asks me that one more time, I really am going to scream." She ground out, visibly wincing at the effort it took to speak. Noticing this, Tatsuya then turned to Matsuki- who also squatted next to Mikoto on her other side- and asked the question that was eating away at him.

"How did this happen?"

"Sabotage." Matsuki replied shortly, before she looked over his head as she glared coolly at someone. "Isn't that right, Enoshima-san?"

When her implication sunk in, Tatsuya's muscles locked up. Turning around slowly, the boy locked gazes with a fearful looking first year with short, curly hair- he recognised her as one of the many female students that vied for his attention sometimes.

Could that have been why Mikoto was targeted?

"You did this?" Tatsuya asked, his voice dangerously quiet. The girl- Enoshima- flinched at the ice in his tone, and she struggled to answer his accusation.

"I-I didn't mean to get her hurt! I'm so sorry-"

"'Sorry' isn't going to fix her leg now, is it?!" Tatsuya cut her off, his voice rising as he began to lose his cool. To think that Mikoto was in this situation because of some petty grudge... it sickened him. However, before he could continue to unleash verbal hell upon the wide-eyed first year, someone touched his arm.

"Tatsuya-kun, wait." Mikoto's voice was pathetically quiet as she spoke, but that was all it took to catch the boy's attention immediately. The look of fury in his eyes was quickly replaced with concern as he faced her once more, taking her hand in his as he scooted closer.

"What is it?" He asked, his gentle wording a polar opposite to his reaction just seconds earlier.

"There's no need to take it out on her." She implored. Tatsuya immediately opened his mouth to protest, but Mikoto met his eye earnestly. "Please."

Tatsuya couldn't believe it. He would have willingly hung Enoshima from the rafters at that moment if Mikoto had asked him to, but now she was actually trying to save said girl from his wrath. He briefly considered ignoring her words, but then his eyes darted back to her bandaged leg. The mere sight of her in pain gave him a twisting feeling in his gut- did he really want to start a fight when she was already hurt?

"...Okay." Tatsuya consented, albeit grudgingly. Mikoto seemed to relax a little at his reassurance, and it only confused him even more. Had she actually been worried for Enoshima in her current state? He didn't get to ponder about it just then though, because at that moment the doors were flung open again as several more members from the basketball club came streaming in, led by Okamura at the very front. The gymnasts immediately made way for them to pass- they had no intention of being trampled by a bunch of basketball players, after all.

"Shirato-san!" The third-year seemed shocked when he caught sight of the manager, his next question falling from his lips automatically. "You okay?"

Mikoto looked ready to murder.

"She isn't too fond of that question right now, Kenichi-kun." Matsuki stepped in to save the situation, her smile a little bit strained due to the situation at hand.

"Damn." Fukui cursed from beside Okamura as he stared at Mikoto's leg with narrowed eyes. "What the heck happened?"

"Explanations can wait until later." Another girl with short, reddish hair answered quickly from where she was trying to secure an ice pack to Mikoto's foot- Tatsuya had barely noticed her earlier. It appeared that she was trying to prevent any violent responses against Enoshima, too. "We kind of have a situation right now."

"It appears to be quite severe." Liu murmured as his brow creased with worry.

"How badly does it hurt?" Okamura asked, earning a wince from Mikoto.

"A lot." She admitted, not bothering to lie about it. Okamura then looked to Matsuki, whose expression was still solemn as she elaborated further.

"We've already patched her up the best that we can. Without a stretcher, we can't really move her anywhere without agitating the injury. And until the nurse arrives..."

"Nakagawa and I can go." One of the first year members from the second string- Iwasaki, if Tatsuya remembered correctly- volunteered when Matsuki trailed off, and all eyes immediately darted towards the previously silent first-years.

"That's right." Nakagawa nodded in agreement, catching onto his friend's suggestion. "We should still find Shirato-senpai a better place to put her feet up. We can try to find the nurse again after that."

"They make a valid point." Liu agreed. "Shall we allow them to retrieve a stretcher?"

"That'd be appreciated." Okamura agreed, nodding at the two boys before they quickly left the gym. As if the offer by the two younger boys wasn't surprising enough, Atsushi suddenly stepped forth and knelt on the floor in front of Mikoto, snatching up the ice pack that the auburn-haired girl had been trying to wrap around the second-year's leg.

"'Scuse me." He muttered none too sincerely as he- rather carelessly- nudged the girl out of the way, taking her place as he began to wrap the ice pack securely around Mikoto's ankle.

Everyone was silent- even Mikoto was staring at Atsushi in utter disbelief. When he looked up as he wrapped the bandages around her foot, he frowned at all the weird looks he was being given.

"What? They teach us how to bandage things in health committee. I'm doing a much better job than her." He pouted, pointing at the girl from earlier. Said girl looked unsure of whether or not she should be offended at his remorseless comment.

"Uh, okay." Okamura blinked, looking somewhat disorientated. However, a sudden yelp from Mikoto had everyone stiffening up immediately- Tatsuya automatically laid a hand on her arm in alarm as he watched her grimace in pain.

"Sorry, Shira-chin." Atsushi apologised, his brow furrowing. Apparently, he had tugged a little too hard on the bandage.

"It's fine. Just didn't see that coming." Mikoto reassured.

"Shirato." Fukui commented, a frown on his face as he caught her attention. "I'll be honest- you look like crap right now."

"Thanks. That was helpful." She replied, her lips twitching upwards slightly. Okamura just punched Fukui on the arm, frowning in disapproval as the latter winced.

"Lay off, man. Is this really the time for that?"

"It's the truth." Fukui protested. However, he was shot down again when Liu spoke up, actually siding with Okamura for once.

"Your callousness is most likely the reason for your lack of romantic partners."

"Oi, what does that have to do with anything?!"

Tatsuya almost wanted to facepalm at how they were actually still poking fun at each other so childishly. But even though the banter seemed light, there was a taut undertone to it- a solemn air that was barely noticeable. They were just as affected by Mikoto's current predicament as much as everyone else- they were simply not showing it. What surprised him, however, was when Mikoto started laughing- at least, he assumed it was a laugh. The attempt sounded like a strangled cough.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, wondering if the pain was making her delusional.

"Sorry. I just... I feel a bit better when I see all of you." She admitted, her confession startling him. A small smile lingered on her lips as she turned from him to the other guys, who were staring at her with mixed looks of concern and surprise. "Thanks for being here." She said, no hint of sarcasm in her voice- she was being serious.

Her sudden thanks made most of them look away- they were probably unsure of how to react to her remark. Even Atsushi was inconspicuously avoiding Mikoto's eye, settling for staring blankly at the auburn-haired girl next to him as she cringed under his scrutiny.

Tatsuya's arm unconsciously tightened around Mikoto as she stared dejectedly at her bandaged foot, wishing for all the world that he could help to alleviate her pain somehow. But there was nothing he could do- only sit and watch as she suffered through it all.

If he hadn't turned her away and prompted her to skip basketball practice today... could this all have been avoided?

_'I'm sorry._' He wanted to say the words that he hadn't been able to for the past five days- five days of battling with his pride and refusing to admit that he was wrong. But even now the words escaped him, and so his regrets were left unspoken yet again.

Once more, Tatsuya found that the only thing he could do for Mikoto now was to hold her close to him- only this time it was more for his own comfort than hers.

* * *

The next few hours were a blur to Mikoto. She recalled the nurse finally coming to the scene not too long after she'd been carried to the infirmary- she would have been embarrassed at how she'd been carried on the stretcher by the guys had she not been in mind-numbing pain. The nurse had called up Mikoto's parents to inform them of her current predicament, and not long after she'd found herself in the nearby hospital, where a doctor had attended to her injury. Her ankle only suffered a clean, greenstick fracture, but it would take about a month to heal- the news made Mikoto upset, but she figured it could have been much worse. She was even assigned to stay in the hospital that night before the doctor sent her home next morning with a splint- again, Mikoto grimaced at the prospect.

Her parents had almost flipped when the news had reached them, and though Mikoto had he chance to, she didn't mention anything about sabotage. Instead, she simply told them that she'd fallen from the bars- which wasn't a complete lie. For some reason, she just couldn't find it in her to tattle on Enoshima, even knowing that it was well-deserved. She was just glad her dad had been pretty calm about the ordeal despite his worry, and hadn't smothered her with maternal love like her mother had- she wasn't sure if her teammates were ever going to let her live that down.

Speaking of whom, Mikoto had been surprised when the members of the basketball team stayed faithfully by her side throughout her ordeal- even some of the members she wasn't very close to, like Iwasaki and Nakagawa. They'd all gone through the trouble of taking the train to the station, skipping the last half of their practice, waiting in the halls of the hospital while she got an X-ray... Mikoto was honestly touched at how concerned they were for her.

"So who's gonna make us lunch, now?"

Well, she assumed that _some_ of them were concerned, at least.

"You guys need to go home soon. It's getting really late." She commented, ignoring Murasakibara's words- she knew he wasn't serious... at least, that's what she thought. Either way, it was heading well into the evening, and she was really tired after everything that happened- she'd just convinced her parents to head on home, and she really didn't want to have to waste much energy to talk these guys into doing the same. Already as it was, it had been tough enough to convince them to not take any action against Enoshima on her behalf when they found out how she had gotten hurt- thankfully, they'd conceded... though not quite willingly. Now, she was lying in the hospital bed as her leg dangled from a suspended cast- Murasakibara had tried poking it at first, but when she'd yelped again he'd quickly stopped- and the guys were just standing or sitting around her bed. It was getting sort of awkward.

She adored her boys, really, but her exhaustion was catching up to her. And she really, really wanted to sleep- she guessed that her drowsiness stemmed from the drugs she was administered to numb the pain.

"Alright, then." Okamura nodded at the manager as he shot her a smile- in her medication-induced haze, Mikoto couldn't help but think just how big and cuddly he looked when he was being nice. He was definitely her favourite senpai, that was for sure. "You take care of yourself, okay Shirato-san?"

"Sure. See you guys." She replied, managing a smile as she waved. The others muttered quiet goodbyes to her as well, slowly trickling out of her room... save for one.

"I'll be a minute." Tatsuya called out to them from his seat next to her bed, his tone neutral. "You all head on back first."

Oh, no. Mikoto had a bad feeling about this- she had welcomed Tatsuya's presence back when her injury had just occurred, but to let him linger now... that would be suicide. She hadn't forgotten what had happened between the two of them before this, and she was positive that was his reason for staying. She immediately turned towards the last person standing in the doorway- Iwasaki looked hesitantly between the two of them, and Mikoto tried to beg him with her eyes to insist that Tatsuya should leave.

"Uh, okay then. We'll wait up for you at the station, senpai."

Damn. Mikoto could only watch helplessly as Iwasaki shut the door behind him, leaving only her and Tatsuya in the otherwise empty hospital room. Feeling too nervous to meet his eye, Mikoto just stared down at her hands, holding her breath as she waited for him to start the conversation. And waited.

And waited.

...

Why wasn't he saying anything?

Unable to stand the tense silence any longer, Mikoto looked up and started to speak. "Tatsuya-"

"Enoshima should be expelled for this."

Well, that wasn't an interruption she'd been expecting. Unable to hide her surprise, Mikoto's gaped wordlessly for a moment before she composed herself, lacing her fingers together awkwardly in her lap.

"Her actions would warrant a suspension, at the most." She corrected, knowing that for a fact. "It's her first offence, so-"

"First or not, she got you into this mess." Tatsuya interrupted. "She deserves expulsion. Why didn't you say anything about what she did? You didn't tell the nurse, or your parents... what's stopping you?"

Mikoto hesitated to answer, finding it difficult to respond when she herself didn't quite know why she was willing to let the first year get off so easily. Even if she didn't speak up, Matsuki definitely would. So... why was she delaying this whole row that was going to happen regardless of her actions?

Enoshima may have been mean, or egotistical, or even vain, but... she wasn't sadistic. And she could still learn to change if she was provided a second chance- a chance Mikoto was willing to give.

"I think she just made a mistake- I doubt she meant to hurt me." She finally spoke, trying to explain the inconceivable sympathy that she felt for Enoshima. "She's still not quite mature, and maybe after this she's learned to be more-"

"Stop justifying this!" Tatsuya growled, his voice rising dangerously as he cut Mikoto off. His eyes were narrowed as he glared down at the brunette, his hands balled into fists as his elbows rested on his knees. Mikoto had never seen Tatsuya this mad before, and though it should have been shocking or even frightening to her... she didn't feel any of that.

Because she knew just what kind of person he was.

"It's my decision, and I'll take full responsibility for the consequences." She countered firmly, but when Tatsuya attempted to speak again she placed a hand over his, softening her tone. "You're not my big brother, Tatsuya-kun. You don't have to take care of me."

Tatsuya's protests were silenced immediately, his eyes widening as his comeback died on his lips- he clearly hadn't been expecting that reply from her. After a moment, he slowly lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought as Mikoto simply remained silent. She didn't regret what she said- he had to know. He didn't have to protect her, or be the one to think as the adult and keep her out of trouble and harm's way. She didn't want a guardian- she wanted an equal; someone to call her friend, whom she could place her trust in and have it returned in kind. She didn't want him to be anyone other than himself. Because to her, he was...

...He was what, exactly?

"...I really don't get you sometimes." Tatsuya finally said, looking up at her as he did so. His expression was calm, but his eyes gave away his conflicted emotions- he was perplexed, frustrated and... sad?

"To be fair, you confuse me a lot of the time, too." Mikoto shrugged, attempting to lighten the mood. It didn't quite work. Tatsuya just glanced away, fixing his eyes intently on the opposite wall as he asked another question.

"How do you forgive someone for hurting you so easily, even if it was an accident?" His voice was almost wistful as he spoke, as if he were talking less to Mikoto and more to himself. The thought puzzled Mikoto, but she ignored her own curiosity in favour of answering his question.

"I haven't completely forgiven her." She confessed, unable to deny the twinge of bitterness she felt. "It still sucks that I'm here, but... what's the point of holding on to a grudge? It's not going to change anything. It'd be better to just move on."

At that, Tatsuya shut his eyes and gave a slow, heavy sigh before he reopened them and looked back at her. It was at this point that Mikoto realised that she still hadn't pulled her hand back from his, but before she could do so Tatsuya had curled his fingers over hers, slowly running his thumb over the back of her palm.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, either oblivious to or unaffected by the blush that rose to Mikoto's face. The girl looked up at his words, prompting him to clarify his point. "For what I said that day after practice. I shouldn't have said what I did. I was just... stressed."

Mikoto just shook her head, her embarrassment fading as she registered his apology. "It wasn't just you. I shouldn't have pushed the issue."

"You're not in the wrong here."

"That's the first time I've heard you admit that." She commented, earning a slight smile from him.

"Maybe it's for the better." He shrugged, looking down at his hands entwined in hers again. This time, Mikoto wasn't given the benefit of being distracted from her shyness- in the silence of the tiny hospital room, she was suddenly very aware of the fact that it was only her and Tatsuya in the room. She started noticing things- like the pale blue outline of the veins on his hands, the soft appearance of his hair, and the long lashes that framed his visible, ash-grey eye-

Nope. She was not going to get carried away. This had to stop.

"Not to rush you or anything, but it's been much longer than 'a minute' since you last told the guys to leave without you." She blurted out, quickly thinking of the simplest excuse she could think up.

"Trying to chase me out already?" Tatsuya chuckled in response, looking up at her with a wry smile. "I'm hurt."

"No, I am." She replied, and Tatsuya's smile dropped almost comically into a pout at her response.

"That was low."

"You can't expect life to be fair all the time."

"Turning my own words against me." He sighed and shook his head, but Mikoto could tell he was fighting back a smile. "You're a cruel person, Mikoto-chan."

"That's what makes me so lovable." She answered airily, earning a strange smirk from Tatsuya in return.

"...Indeed." He murmured, an odd twinkle in his eye as he stood from his chair soundlessly. Mikoto expected him to leave, but instead... he placed a hand on her shoulder and bent down, his lips brushing against her temple as he kissed the top of her head.

The brunette remained unmoving, frozen in shock. Did he just...

"Good night, Mikoto-chan." Tatsuya whispered, his warm breath trailing over her skin and forcing her to repress a shudder. Thankfully, he straightened up and shot her another smile as he continued. "I'll be back to visit soon- I promise."

"Y-you... you don't have to go out of your way. I'll be fine." Mikoto managed to squeeze the words from her throat just as Tatsuya reached the door, prompting him to pause just as his hand landed on the doorknob. Instead of responding immediately, the teen just smiled his usual, mysterious half-smile and replied...

"If it's for you, it's never out of my way."

And then he left, leaving Mikoto alone in the room as she stared at the door he closed behind him, her earlier tiredness forgotten.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, Tatsuya's parting words kept replaying themselves over and over in her head. She just couldn't help but mull over the implication behind those words... and the reason for the strange, fluttering feeling in her stomach.

* * *

**Omake:**

Atsushi rarely thought too hard on anything. He much preferred to just let things come and go as they please, not really bothered by how events would turn out as long as they never affected him directly. In that sense, he was like a rock in the middle of the ocean- immovable and nearly unchanging despite the shifting of the tides.

But even rocks could be worn away and smoothed out over time- and that was proven when he'd seen Shirato lying on the floor, her face twisted in pain as she clutched her swelling foot.

He couldn't quite say what compelled him to act on his own accord when he took over bandaging the ice pack to Shirato's ankle- he would guess that he just wanted to get it over and done with since he was the only one with proper training in first aid. Maybe joining the health committee hadn't been all that bad- even if he'd only done so in the first place because his sister had forced him to. But then there was the little detail about how Shirato had ended up that way in the first place- Himuro had informed them that it had been sabotage on the part of one Yuki Enoshima, to which everyone, even Liu, had responded with outrage. The only one who hadn't shown any sign of response had been Atsushi himself- outwardly, at least.

On the inside, he wanted to crush Enoshima completely.

Which was why that following Thursday, the colossal boy stood at the gates of Yosen High, despite the fact that he didn't have practice.

The reason for his doing so was soon revealed when the members of the gymnastics club came trickling out of the school building. Atsushi just waited patiently as he popped another nerunerunerune candy into his mouth, ignoring the awed looks of the other students as they walked past him. There was only one person he was looking for, and it wasn't long until he saw her come out, blonde head lowered shamefully as she avoided the stares of her clubmates.

When she came closer to him, she finally seemed to notice the long shadow that he cast over the ground and looked up- Atsushi could have sworn he saw her face grow several shades paler, too. He ignored her discomfort though, and instead he met her eye evenly as he looked down at her.

"Enoshima." He greeted, his voice dull.

"M-Murasakibara-san." Enoshima stammered, looking as though she would really like to be anywhere else but here. Good.

"You hurt Shira-chin." His direct statement made the girl flinch, and she quickly lowered her head.

"...Yes. I-I'm truly sorry for that."

"You're lucky Shira-chin was nice enough to tell us not to hurt you." Atsushi commented, tilting his head slightly. The blonde looked up in surprise at that, but the look on his face must have frightened her into silence. He wasn't quite done yet.

"But... if you touch her again, I won't listen twice." He drawled out, emphasising his last few words. "I'll crush you."

With that, Atsushi simply turned around and walked off, not caring for Enoshima's response. He'd said what he'd come to say, and that was that. If Enoshima didn't listen then, well... he meant what he said. He would not let her off so easily a second time.

Because Shirato was their manager, and no one was allowed to hurt her. Period.

"Excuse me! Hey, you! Big guy!"

Big guy? Was that annoying name supposed to be referring to him?

A frowning pulling at his lips, Atsushi spared a glance over his shoulder as he sought out the source of the voice. Oddly enough, there was indeed someone waving at him as she jogged after him- a rather tall girl with short, auburn hair.

Hm... wasn't that the girl who'd been trying- and failing- to bandage Shirato's leg? The boy briefly considered ignoring the girl and walking away so she couldn't catch up, but he refrained from doing so- he didn't want to risk dropping his candy everywhere.

"Me?" He raised an eyebrow as he turned around, popping another candy into his mouth. Mm... blueberry. That reminded him- he should probably get something for Shirato to munch on during her recovery.

"Yeah." The girl came to a halt in front of him, breathing a little heavily after having chased after him. She then stuck out a hand as she grinned up at him, ignoring his disdainful stare. "Hi. Reiko Komatsu- we're in the same class."

Atsushi just blinked at her outstretched hand, not even caring to return the gesture. What was she trying to do?

"Er... anyway." The girl- Komatsu? What an odd name for someone so tall- finally lowered her hand awkwardly when she realised he wasn't going to take it, but she quickly brightened up again. "I know you guys in the basketball club have got a real bone to pick with Enoshima-san right now. But Hinata-senpai's already given her a real tongue lashing, so I think she's learned her lesson."

The girl paused for a moment and looked at him expectantly, but Atsushi made no move to reply save for chewing on yet another candy. What was she getting at?

"What I'm trying to say is..." Komatsu continued slowly, showing the first signs of unease at his lack of response. "Let's try to sort this out civilly, alright? It'll make things easier for both of our clubs, and besides- I think Shirato-senpai would like that."

"Why should I listen to you?" Atsushi asked, his tone bored. Was he really getting a lecture about goodwill and friendship from this random person?

"You don't." Komatsu admitted without batting an eyelash, much to Atsushi's surprise. "But I thought it'd make me sound kind of cool if I said it."

"...Huh?" For the first time since this odd, almost one-sided conversation started, Atsushi Murasakibara found himself completely dumbfounded. Was this weird girl for real?

"That's all I have to say. Feel free to take it as you will." Komatsu smiled brightly again before she waved at him, already starting to walk around him. "See you, big guy!"

Now, usually Atsushi would be more than willing to just let people like that walk away- he'd even welcome it. But something about this person just rubbed him the wrong way. And even more than that, he really didn't like the name she kept using for him...

"Atsushi."

The girl stopped in her tracks, looking back in surprise.

"Huh?"

"My name is Atsushi Murasakibara, not 'big guy'." Said boy clarified, his brow furrowing as he shot her a look. "Don't call me that- it's annoying."

Komatsu blinked again, as if still not quite over her shock at being addressed. But when her mind finally comprehended what he was saying, she just smirked tauntingly.

"I don't have to listen to you either, y'know." She sang, before spinning around and walking away, not sparing him another glance.

If Atsushi could have, he would have grabbed the girl's head and used it for basketball practice. But instead, all he did was stare after her as she skipped away, his disdainful stare going unnoticed. The violet-haired boy just grunted and reached into his packet of candy, only to find that it was empty- that only served to increase his frustration tenfold.

Atsushi pouted, unable to take his mind off this latest development now that he was out of snacks. What an irritating person that Komatsu was.

...But he had to admit- her height was kind of impressive for a girl.

* * *

**AN: College means no sleep. No sleep means slower updates. I am so sorry guys. I know there are still some reviews and messages I haven't replied to, but I've been trying to finish this up for a while now and... here it is. I will get around to answering all of you soon, I promise! For now though, I hope you guys enjoyed this update! [Edit: For the record... Komatsu is just gonna be around for comic relief more than anything else, haha! Especially for what i have in mind after this little plot point... ;) ]**

**Also, yes, I am aware I've started changing certain words to the British spelling. My Asian education confused me in the past chapters when deciding what spelling to use OTL. But now, I'm gonna stick with the UK spelling to get more used to it (again, college. Haha). Sorry for any confusion- I'm going to be editing the past chapters later, too.**

**Many thanks to Amethyst, Lady Syndra, solitarysarcasm, Karen890102, RomanticKissez, minjee98, TheBloodyArrow, Guest, Noiz Viruz, Indirianna,LincoeAlisson3298, Guest (2),VanillaMilkshake18,amy1945, EllieXDreams, Guest (3), Guest (4), Tamani, Romance-Oubliee, PhoenixRage92, AkaNeko-chan, lostinthefridge and VixenOfMeriaz for reviewing the last time! I read each and every one of your reviews and messages, and though I may not reply right away, know that I really do appreciate all the support you guys give me. I won't give up on this story, that much I promise!**

**As for the review responses:**

**Amethyst:** I'm happy to hear that you like the story! I hope I didn't disappoint with this update, haha!

**minjee98:** Glad you like the two of them thus far! I'll try to do my best to keep you interested XD

**Guest (1):** Well, you were right about Enoshima brewing trouble, haha! But at least they made up? 8'D

**Guest (2):** Aha, I'm sorry for that last cliffhanger! I really am honoured to hear that my writing is able to induce such feelings in you (as sadistic as that sounds lol). I must apologise though- Aomine's talk isn't gonna happen for a while..

**Guest (3):** Thank you for the compliment! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

**Guest (4):** Haha, thank you! I'm honoured that you like this story so much 8D


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC**.

_Mikoto grunted as she received an unexpected blow to her side from her opponent, effectively ending the fight as the impact knocked her to the floor. Falling onto her side, the girl panted heavily as she struggled to get back up- the dark-haired boy who had beaten her in the first place was breathing just as heavily as she was. Shuuzo Nijimura wiped his hand across his face as he brushed the sweat off his skin, wincing slightly as his bruised forearm stung from the movement. He'd gotten those from blocking Mikoto's assaults- something he now regretted. The girl could hit like a man for her short physique._

_"That's another win for me, Shirato." He announced as he fixed the black belt around his karate uniform, not offering a hand to the girl who tried to get up- she wouldn't have appreciated the concern, anyway. Mikoto's arms shook as she pushed herself to her feet- something that didn't escape his keen eye._

_"One more round." She declared as she clutched her aching side- her strong voice would have sounded much more impressive if she hadn't started swaying slightly on her feet as soon as she tried to stand up from her crouch._

_"Not until you give yourself some breathing space." Shuuzo replied tonelessly as he simply lifted a foot and lightly kicked her shoulder to knock her back onto the floor. He didn't feel any guilt for doing so- Mikoto had a habit of insisting on getting her way until authority was exerted, and she could handle it. "You look like you're gonna pass out at any second."_

_The girl must really have been tired out, because she complied without complaint. She just let herself fall back onto the ground without even trying to find a more comfortable spot. Shuuzo decided to join her as well, and he settled himself next to her on the floor- though in a much more graceful manner than she did._

_With just a few more weeks until graduation, the boy decided he'd call Mikoto up and offer one last spar before they parted ways- just for old time's sake. She had readily agreed, and he had to admit, he was almost proud to see how much she'd improved under his tutelage. Her skills now far exceeded the first time he'd seen her pathetic attempt at fighting, that was for sure._

_"You've improved." Shuuzo praised, rolling his shoulder a few times as he did so. "Your kicks are starting to hurt like hell."_

_"That's good, then." Mikoto shot him a glance, a small smile on her lips "I owe it to you. I never would have gotten this far without your guidance."_

_The comment served its purpose as it fed Shuuzo's ego, and he felt a smile pulling at his own lips as well. He just leaned back on his elbows and tilted his head back, relaxing as he reminisced about all the years that had flown by. He'd gone through various phases of his life- some of which he wasn't too proud of- but he couldn't say he regretted them, since they had all contributed to his growth into person he was now. A small laugh left his lips as he recalled the first time he'd actually noticed the girl sitting next to him just then- even though they had been attending the same dojo for years, he hadn't really noticed Mikoto until one particular incident._

_"I never got to thank you."_

_"For what?" Mikoto tilted her head._

_"Backing me up that one time." Shuuzo elaborated, his smirk growing wider as he remembered being ganged up upon during his first year of high school. Just when he'd thought he was outnumbered and was going to get his ass handed to him, a tiny brunette just came out of nowhere and socked his one of his assailants right in the face, giving him the opening and backup he needed to gain the upper hand again. "Heard you got into a lot of trouble with your parents."_

_"It was nothing." That was a lie- he had seen her sulking for quite a while after the incident after being grounded. The fact that they'd both gotten some demerits for getting involved probably hadn't helped her mood either, given her studious nature. "I couldn't have just stood aside and let those punks beat you up."_

_"Still, you shouldn't really have interfered." Shuuzo rebuked. "It was my fight, and you risked your own safety."_

_"Hey, I didn't have to sprain my wrist for you." Mikoto grumbled, though there was no bitterness in her voice. "It's not always a matter of personal security. I just didn't like standing by when I could do something to help. So I did."_

_It was still dumb to get herself involved for a fight someone else started, Shuuzo wanted to retort. But he kept his mouth shut- it was the sentiment behind it that mattered, even if he did think it was irrational. Mikoto always possessed a sense of nobility that- more often than not- got her into trouble, but he had to give her credit for having the guts to stand up for what she believed was right. Besides, if she hadn't interfered, he would have been in serious trouble- and he probably would never had gotten to really meet her. She was a decent person, and he really didn't mind helping her with her karate- her punches were crappy, anyway. Plus, she whipped up some pretty nice lunches for the basketball team sometimes._

_"You know, if we'd ended up going to the same high school, I might've considered asking you out." Shuuzo commented idly._

_"H-huh?!" The girl flushed bright red almost immediately, and Shuuzo was almost worried that she would faint from how quickly the blood rushed to her face. Besides, he was just stating a fact- with her moving to Akita and he to America, there was just no way to make it work out, anyway._

_"I'm just saying. You're not half bad, Shirato." He pushed her head lightly, knowing she would get more annoyed at having her hair messed up than to be too bothered by his comment. "I'll miss having you around to try and fail to beat me... and your cooking."_

_"That's the real reason, isn't it?" Mikoto groused, earning a grin from her friend._

_"Don't ever change, spitfire." Shuuzo muttered, his voice almost fond as he lay back on the ground, his hands folded behind his head. He'd miss this easy routine, that much was for sure._

_"Don't call me that." Mikoto muttered. However, her voice became a little softer as she added, "But… I'll miss you, too. I hope all goes well for you and your family."_

_Shuuzo's smirk softened a little, and he nodded once in affirmative. "I appreciate it, Shirato."_

_"It's really no big deal."_

_The boy spared a glance out of the corner of his eye, catching a glimpse of Mikoto as she rested her chin on her knees, which she hugged close to her chest. It was so odd to see just how deceiving her appearance was- an iron will lay beneath that quiet face, yet it was reinforced with a kindness that was entirely unconditional. An odd contradiction, but somehow... it worked. Hers was definitely a face he would not soon forget, for he doubted if he would ever encounter anyone quite as interesting Mikoto Shirato anytime soon._

_However, unbeknownst to Shuuzo, his assumptions would be proven wrong. Because within the first 24 hours after he arrived in America… he met Tatsuya Himuro._

* * *

Over the next few days, it wasn't uncommon for guests to drop by the Shirato household. Ever since Mikoto had been released from the hospital, lots of her friends had dropped by to check in on her. The word 'friends' didn't really encompass a wide group of people, since it referred only to Hinata- who had been the first to see her the moment she was allowed to leave the hospital, and had even helped her hobble along on her crutches to help her get used to them- the basketball team, and oddly enough the underclassman who had tried to patch up her foot on the day of the accident.

The redheaded first-year had introduced herself as Reiko Komatsu, and in all honesty Mikoto had been highly surprised to have her company. Apparently, though she herself had not really acknowledged Reiko's presence before this, the younger girl held her in high regard due to her gymnastics skills- something she had admitted quite eagerly during her first visit, much to Mikoto's embarrassment. She wasn't used to being admired, but the second-year found herself growing a little more comfortable with Reiko's presence over time, no thanks to the easy manner in which the underclassman conversed with her.

As for the guys on the basketball team, they had reported the news of her situation back to the coach. Mikoto nearly dropped dead of a heart attack when none other than Masako Araki dropped by her home for a visit- she was more shocked by the coach's mere presence than she was to see the woman sitting at her dining room table across from her mother, both of them smiling and carrying casual conversation as though they were old friends. She didn't have time to ask any questions though, because the coach immediately cut to the chase. Masako's demand that she explain the entire situation was what prompted Mikoto to admit to the truth behind her injury- the guys had supposedly heard of the cause as well- and the teacher had taken swift action by reporting the case to the school authorities once she had confirmation. Mikoto's mother hadn't been too pleased that she hadn't said anything about the sabotage, though. The day after that, the principal called up Mikoto's parents and had informed them of Yuki's suspension- apparently, she had confessed the entire thing after Hinata had taken the initiative of attesting on Mikoto's behalf as well.

Despite the serious manner in which she handled the situation, Coach Araki was kind enough to offer her a few words of support, even telling her to take a break from her duties for as long as she needed to. She hadn't said it, but Mikoto was actually rather happy that the coach seemed to be looking out for her. The guys on the basketball team seemed pretty satisfied with the coach's actions after that, since they never evicted any signs of bitterness against the first-year after that. It almost relieved Mikoto of her concern regarding the whole fiasco.

...Well, almost.

"You didn't even confront this girl?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you don't plan to?"

"Yeah."

"She broke your freaking leg, and you're letting her off the hook?!"

"Mmhm."

"Are you completely nuts?!"

"Sure."

"…Miko, the house is on fire and everyone is dead."

"Mmkay."

"Dammit Miko, listen to what I'm saying!"

"What?" Mikoto finally snapped back to attention at Daiki's sudden change of tone- once he started rambling, she had automatically tuned him out. The girl was halfway munching on a biscuit as she spoke through her headset to her cousin on the other end of the line, grateful that she'd turned off her laptop's camera so he couldn't catch her ignoring him. At the foot of her bed, Toshi was sleeping on the floor- the dog couldn't very well drape itself over her lap when her leg was hurt.

"Sorry. Kind of lost focus for a bit. What were you saying?"

Judging from the sound she heard from her headphones, Mikoto decided it was safe to assume that Daiki had just smacked his palm onto his face.

"Miko." He sighed, sounding very annoyed with her current demeanour. "You don't just let this sort of thing slip by. The bi-... kid put you in a hospital, for crying out loud."

"You hesitated." Mikoto pointed out, carefully manoeuvring her bandaged ankle as she adjusted her position on her bed. It had been two days since she'd been released from the hospital, and she'd been pleasantly surprised to see that Daiki had tried to contact her- apparently, her dad had informed Aunt Shiori of her latest predicament. "And besides- her punishment's been handed out already. Enoshima-san's going to be suspended from the first two weeks of school when it reopens, and from what I heard her parents didn't take it well, either. So can we please drop it?"

"Miko-"

"Daiki, please don't make me sit through another rant." Mikoto cut in, groaning as she ran a hand through her hair. "Mom's already done that twice since she found out."

There was a brief silence as Daiki seemed to mull over his choices, but eventually the boy sighed again- he'd been doing that a lot since the beginning of the call.

"Tch. You can be a real pain sometimes, you know that?"

Mikoto's lips twitched into a smile. "I've been told as much."

"If I were there I'd kick your ass first before I dealt with this Enoshima kid."

"Just let it be. What's done is done."

"Doesn't mean you should encourage her to get away with it."

"I'm not encouraging her. I'm just giving her a chance." Mikoto corrected. Before her cousin could interrupt, the girl quickly added on to that statement. "I do, however, appreciate your concern. Thanks."

"Who said I was concerned?" He groused, his voice gruff. Despite his denial, Mikoto could imagine that he was simply putting on a front again. And they called her the shy one...

"Yes, I'm positive that you're only calling because Satsuki-chan told you to." The brunette commented, positive that Daiki was now bristling at her words- and that he had forgotten about the earlier topic. She knew how to push his buttons far too well.

"She wouldn't stop bugging me until I did."

"Riiight. I believe you."

"Shut up." Daiki growled, inciting a small giggle from Mikoto. Before she could reply, the door to her room opened, and the girl turned to see her mom peeking her head in.

"Miko, Himuro-kun is here to see you." She announced quietly, and Mikoto pretended not to see the delighted sparkle in her eye as she spoke.

"Alright. Thanks, mom." She nodded, waiting for her mother to duck out of the room again before she returned her attention to her cousin. "I guess I'll call you back later, Daiki?"

"Pretty Boy's visiting you?" Daiki questioned, though Mikoto could detect a vaguely distasteful note in his voice. Huh, she wondered why that was. "He's that desperate, huh?"

"Visiting an injured friend doesn't make one desperate, Daiki." Mikoto huffed. "You're being overly dramatic."

"Being friends is one thing. It's another thing if one 'friend' is trying to get into the other's pants-"

"Sorry?" Mikoto interrupted, before she put a hand over her mouth and made a hissing sound to resemble static. "Can't hear you. You're breaking up."

"This is an online call, dumbass! You can't-"

Mikoto ended the call.

Ha. Revenge was sweet. She might have started cackling manically and rubbing her hands together too, had a certain shooting guard not entered the room and was currently staring at her oddly.

"...Did I interrupt something?" Tatsuya questioned, sounding equal parts entertained and bemused. Toshi had awoken at some point and was now trotting over to the boy, who absently scratched the dog behind its ears as he made his way over to the seat next to her bed.

"No, not at all." Mikoto shrugged, before passing him the box of biscuits she held in her hands. "Want a cookie?"

Before Tatsuya could answer, an alert tone beeped out from Mikoto's laptop, prompting the two of them to look back at the screen. It announced that Daiki was trying to call her again, much to Mikoto's entertainment. She just closed the screen and turned back to Tatsuya, whose amused smirk only seemed to widen.

"Not going to answer?"

"Nope."

"I approve. Playing hard to get is enough to hook any man." Tatsuya commented, taking hold of a biscuit and popping it into his mouth. Mikoto made a face at his comment.

"That's my cousin you're referring to. Please don't ever say anything about him in that context again."

"So sensitive." Tatsuya laughed shortly, before he finished off his biscuit. "You know, these are pretty good."

"That's because they're laced with drugs." Mikoto replied, her tone bland.

"Wonderful. My favourite."

And that was how Mikoto was the one to ignore Daiki for once, leaving the latter to fume silently all the way across the country as her companion did little to encourage her otherwise. Tatsuya would never admit it, but he quite enjoyed Mikoto's more vengeful side when it wasn't directed at him.

...Plus, her cheekiness was kind of cute, too. But she'd kick him if he ever told her that.

"What are you staring at?"

"Just thinking about how gorgeous you are."

"...Shut up."

"Will do."

* * *

Mikoto almost stumbled into her living room as she squeezed through the doorway on her crutches, welcoming the sight of the couch as she plopped herself down on her favourite seat, sighing in relief. Just as she was beginning to relax however, the doorbell rang- this earned more than just a few mild curses from the girl.

"I'll be right there." She called out, pushing herself to her feet once more and heading for the door. Her parents had to go back to work that day, and so she was left alone in the house- that meant she had to open the door for any guests that came by. Mikoto cursed her luck, but she supposed it was a good thing that she was getting used to her crutches.

When she finally reached the front door, she spared a glance through the peephole first. A figure with red hair stood in the doorway, also attempting to peep through the hole on the other side of the door as well. Mikoto gave a small "hmph" at that- after what she'd been through with her Yosen boys, Reiko's antics hardly ever fazed her, though her lively nature was something to be admired.

"Hiya, senpai!" The redhead greeted cheerfully as Mikoto opened the door for her, beaming at the second-year so brightly that Mikoto just had to return the smile.

"Komatsu-chan. What brings you-" Mikoto trailed off abruptly when she suddenly caught sight of the girl standing behind Reiko- a girl she hadn't noticed earlier. Her eyes widened slightly when she recognised the girl with the short, wavy hair, and she couldn't stop herself from balking.

"G-good afternoon, Shirato-senpai." Yuki Enoshima bowed politely towards Mikoto, a slight shake in her voice. Upon her words, Mikoto shook herself out of her stupor- had Yuki actually acknowledged her as her senpai?

"Well... I can't say that I expected you, Enoshima-san." Mikoto wore the half-smile that she had picked up from Tatsuya, deciding to keep her expression neutral for the most part.

"I just thought that I should..." The first-year trailed off uncertainly, looking down at her feet as she appeared to be at a loss for words. Mikoto made no move to add her input either- she had no idea what to say, anyway...

"Well, then!" Reiko took the opportunity to cut in just then, breaking up the awkward moment before the atmosphere got too tense. The girl discretely nudged Yuki into the house, closing the door behind her as she did so. Ignoring the incredulous looks from both Mikoto and her companion, she just beamed cheerily. "Enoshima-chan wants to say something to you, senpai. In the meantime, I have to use the washroom, so I'll leave you two to it."

And then the redhead just waltzed right past Mikoto and towards the kitchen where the toilet was. The older girl was stunned by the sudden bomb the underclassman had just dumped on her without warning, and she blinked owlishly at the spot where Reiko once stood before understanding what had just transpired. Even Yuki looked confused.

"She's... quite energetic." Mikoto commented, raising an eyebrow at the remaining underclassman.

"Yeah." Yuki agreed, starting to look a little uncomfortable as she shifted her feet nervously.

"Did she talk you into coming here?"

"Yes. She thought that I might be able to, uhm, clarify some things with you."

"Alright, then." The brunette nodded, before nodding towards the living room. "Mind if we take a seat? I'd prefer not to stand too long."

"Oh. Of course." Yuki quickly agreed- not that she really was in any place not to do so. Mikoto lead the way, supported by her crutches, and settled herself back into the seat she had taken earlier, taking a deep breath as she did so. Oh, boy- this was going to be interesting.

Yuki sat in the couch opposite of Mikoto, directly across the small coffee table that sat between them. The girl looked a little antsy, not even relaxing in her seat as she sat straight-backed, her gaze darting everywhere from the carpeted floor to Mikoto's eyes, before immediately looking back at the floor again. Mikoto observed all of this patiently- not simply because she wanted to make Yuki uncomfortable, but simply because she didn't know what else to do. Thankfully, the younger girl seemed to gather her wits together long enough for her to get to her feet once more, before she bowed deeply before her upperclassman.

"Senpai, about what I did with the sugar... I'm truly, truly sorry. I never intended on getting you hurt." Here, Enoshima glanced up hesitantly, her eyes filled with remorse. Mikoto couldn't say that she was surprised by her words, but she hadn't quite expected an apology, either. "I was... I wasn't thinking. It was stupid."

"I cannot say that I understand your reasons, but I appreciate the apology. Thanks." Mikoto replied, heaving a sigh. She couldn't help but feel at least a smidgen of pity for Yuki- in addition to all of her punishments from the school board and her parents, it probably wasn't easy to face her friends now, either. The fact that she'd gathered the courage to stand before her now and apologise was... admirable, somewhat.

"T-that's... it?" Yuki straightened up, her voice filled with disbelief and a hint of wariness. Blinking owlishly at Mikoto, her surprise was written all over her face. "How can you just forgive me like that? Aren't you angry?"

Mikoto mulled over her words for a moment before lifting a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

"I'm just tired, really. I'm not entirely happy, but it was an accident. And grudges are petty things- sometimes it's better to just to move on and try to fix things." Mikoto answered, feeling a small twinge in her chest as she said that- if only she could have taken her own advice.

Yuki looked lost, and she just shook her head in surrender. "I don't understand."

"Trust me, I don't quite get it, myself." Mikoto acknowledged. Her expression softened a little as she glanced at the first-year, her voice sympathetic as she continued, "But.. I think you've learned from this experience. We all do stupid things sometimes- we just have to learn from them. And I hope that you'll remember that."

"Senpai..." Yuki trailed off, apparently unable to find the words to respond. There was a mixture of surprise and incredulity in her expression, but if Mikoto's eyes weren't deceiving her, she looked a little relieved- hopeful, almost.

"I can understand liking a guy. Believe me, I've been there." Mikoto commented. "But instead of fighting off the competition, you really should just try to get close to him on your own. Trust me- it's much easier, and less troublesome."

"I'm sorry. It's just... I don't know what I was thinking." Yuki admitted, her voice heavy with regret. "I was just trying to be spiteful. It was wrong to let my emotions get the better of me."

"It's good that you see that now." The second-year agreed. Mikoto then leaned back in her seat, making herself a bit more comfortable before deciding to switch the topic. "By the way, how did it ever occur to you to use sugar in the chalk?"

That made Yuki flush, and she slowly sank into her chair as she cleared her throat. "I, uhm... read somewhere that people cheat by using sugar on sports equipment to make them more difficult to hold. I thought the same would work."

"Huh, interesting. They don't teach you that in Chemistry."

"Still, I didn't know the effects would be so..." Yuki glanced at the leg Mikoto still had bandaged up, her mood evidently dampening again. Noticing this, the older girl tried to shift the topic elsewhere again.

"So, how long have you and Komatsu-chan known each other?" Mikoto asked, honestly curious. She had to wonder if the two were close even before the incident- it sure seemed that way, given that she'd been the one to accompany her...

"We just started talking, actually." Yuki admitted, surprising Mikoto with her answer. The girl herself seemed a little confused, too.

"I see." Mikoto placed a hand to her chin in thought, before she raised her voice a little. "Well then, it's no wonder she feels no guilt for eavesdropping on our conversation."

At her words, Mikoto could almost hear Reiko flinching from her position behind the wall next to the living room entrance. Yuki seemed to catch on as well, and quickly followed Mikoto's intent gaze. Indeed, barely a moment later a head of red hair peeked out from the doorway, followed by brown eyes and a sheepish grin belonging to one Reiko Komatsu.

"...Oops?" The girl's smile faltered slightly, cringing a little beneath the stares of the two girls she'd been listening in on. There was no point denying it, anyway.

"Why didn't you just come on in?" Yuki questioned, her voice laced with a hint of exasperation.

"It would have ruined the moment." Reiko shrugged, earning a deadpan look from her fellow underclassman.

Mikoto on the other hand just heaved a sigh, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She had a feeling things would be a little more interesting now that she had such a strange kouhais around.

'And besides...' Mikoto caught Yuki's eye for a moment and shot her a small smile- one that the younger girl hesitantly returned.

At least there was some semblance of good that came out of this whole mess.

* * *

If there was one thing Mikoto could commend her teammates for, it was definitely their ability to instantly make the atmosphere lighter simply by being their usual, oddball selves. This much was exemplified when she was enjoying her book as she relaxed in the armchair in the living room, only to have the piece of literature flung from her hands in shock when a loud, booming voice called out.

"Shirato-chan! We're here to cheer you up!"

"You're loud, Okamura." Kensuke's voice reprimanded, and Mikoto spun around in her seat to behold several members of the basketball team standing in the archway to the living room. She had been so absorbed in her book that she hadn't even noticed that her dad had invited them in- she caught a glimpse of him grumbling to himself as he retreated back into the kitchen, too.

"Oh. Sorry, sorry!" The basketball team captain rubbed his head sheepishly, offering Mikoto an apologetic grin. The girl couldn't help but return it- no one could ever be mad at Kenichi for long. He was just too nice.

"You guys are here?" Mikoto asked, placing her book down in her lap as she bookmarked it.

"No. We're clearly just holograms." Kensuke replied, and Mikoto found her eyebrow twitching again- typical.

"My arms are uninjured, Fukui-senpai. I can still throw stuff at you." She threatened, but Kensuke just snorted in response. The girl's sight then trailed over the others standing there- aside from the two upperclassmen, there was Atsushi, Liu…

"Muro-chin isn't here with us." Atsushi pointed out when he noticed Mikoto's line of sight. The boy held a large plastic bag in his hands as he chewed on some sort of candy- he'd probably made a stop by the grocery store along the way. "He had to go to school today for a Student Council meeting. They're discussing something about the school sports day."

"Oh." Mikoto nodded, ignoring the slight disappointment she felt at this piece of information. "That's understandable."

"Here." Atsushi then proceeded to dump the plastic bag he'd been holding onto her lap, and Mikoto almost made a noise of protest at his blatant disregard for her book. However, her the item that lay within the plastic bag caught her attention, and she peered at it curiously.

"You guys got me this?" She asked, staring at the clear plastic container holding what looked to be a cake within it.

"Murasakibara was the one who brought them." Liu corrected, and Mikoto looked up at the violet-haired boy in intrigue. Atsushi just shrugged.

"Onee-chan heard about your accident. She told me I still had to repay you for all the lessons you gave."

"Give her my thanks, then." Mikoto smiled, before a thought crossed her mind. The plastic container holding the cake didn't look like a typical bakery container, and even the plastic bag it sat in had the logo of a hardware store on it. Could it be that he hadn't bought this?

"Did you... make this yourself?" Mikoto asked, blinking in surprise.

"I didn't want to go out and buy something I could make." Atsushi complained, though Mikoto could have sworn that she heard a hint of disgruntlement in the boy's voice. Oh, he was getting defensive- but she chose not to push it.

"I appreciate it, Murasakibara-kun. Thank you."

"What are we, chopped liver?" Kenichi scoffed, producing a small bundle of flowers from the bag he was holding. "We even got you these."

"You'd think I was severely injured..." Mikoto mumbled, accepting the flowers with a hint of embarrassment. These guys were spoiling her…

"Your lack of attendance during practice has hindered our progress." Liu informed her, sounding almost condescending.

"Some of us have had to take on your duties." Kenichi added. "Didn't realise that a manager had to handle so much stuff."

"So get better already, woman. The Winter Cup is coming." Kensuke added with finality, and Mikoto had to repress an annoyed sigh. Way to kill the moment.

"I have my own stuff to do too, you know. Like gymnastics."

"But Shira-chin's foot is broken." Atsushi pointed out. "You can't do any fancy twists or flips with that."

"Thanks for the uplifting comment." Mikoto muttered, her bitter tone earning a vaguely apologetic look from Atsushi.

"Sorry."

"You'll recover soon enough." Kenichi assured her, attempting to get rid of the tension. "And then you'll be free to vault and land on even more unsuspecting people."

"That was one time." Mikoto huffed. They really wouldn't let that go, would they? But before she could attempt to save her face, an inquiry from Liu interrupted her.

"Who were these from?" The boy asked as he walked over to the vase of fresh cosmos flowers sitting on the coffee table. Attached to the blossoms was a 'Get Well Soon' card- they were evidently meant for her.

"Oh, Enoshima-chan brought them when she dropped by the last time." Mikoto replied.

Everyone gaped at that- except for Atsushi, who just seemed unimpressed.

"Enoshima was here?!"

"What for?"

"She came here with Komatsu-chan to apologise the first time. After that we just... sort of started hanging out." Mikoto shrugged, feeling uncomfortable under their disbelieving stares.

"You didn't kick her out the moment you saw her?" Atsushi asked, frowning.

"Well, she's trying to make up for what she did." Mikoto shrugged, but Atsushi shook his head.

"I was talking about Ko-chin."

"'Ko-chin'?" Mikoto repeated in confusion, before she realised that Atsushi was referring to Reiko. "Oh. Why would I do that to Komatsu-chan?"

"Never mind." Atsushi muttered darkly. There was probably some history behind that- Mikoto made sure to store that little detail away for future conversation.

"Shirato, I think your fall damaged your brain. You might wanna see another doctor." Kensuke suggested, tapping his knuckles against her skull. The brunette just scowled and batted away his hand exasperatedly.

"I'm perfectly fine!" Mikoto snapped. "Just… live and let live, right? There's no point fussing over things that have already happened."

The boys all stared at her as though she had a third head, their expressions varying from deadpan to complete surprise. Mikoto supposed she could understand their disbelief, but she really didn't want any further conflict between the basketball club and Yuki any further. She had done her best to settle the problem at its source, and it was better now to just let bygones be bygones.

In the end, Kenichi was the first to break the silence with a loud sigh, and the third-year ran a hand through his short black hair as he shook his head.

"I'll never get how someone like you ended up with Himuro." He lamented, sniffling. "It's not fair. I'm a nice guy, right? Why can't I get a girlfriend, too?"

"Look in the mirror and you shall have your answer." Liu responded, which resulted in Kenichi falling to his hands and knees as he once again wailed over his poor dating prospects.

"Uh, I'm not dating Tatsuya-kun." Mikoto pointed out awkwardly, unsure as to why she was even trying to justify that to Kenichi when he was having another one of his moments.

"At this point, Shirato, no one believes you." Kensuke chipped in, and Mikoto returned his flat stare with one of her own.

"Why not?"

"Because Muro-chin keeps making goo-goo eyes at you." Atsushi added his two cents through a mouthful of cake.

"He does not. And don't talk with your mouth full."

"I can do what I want."

"My house, my rules."

"Shira-chin is a meanie."

"I wish someone would make goo-goo eyes at me…"

"Impossible. Anyone who gazes upon you would be rendered blind immediately."

"Liu, you're a cold, cold bastard."

"You are not in any position to say so, Fukui."

"Touché."

Amidst all the misplaced conversation going on between the teens, Hajime Shirato paused at the doorway to the living room. Glancing between his cup of coffee and the newspaper in his hands, he looked thoughtfully at the scene in the hall, wondering if he should try and make his way over to his usual seat…

"Hey, Shirato, boxers or briefs?"

"…What?"

"Well, you know how all of us guys-"

"You know what, forget I asked."

The man grimaced and chose the smarter of the two options he had, making his way back to the kitchen as he decided to read at the dining table instead. There was just no way he was going to involve himself in the affairs of these crazy teenagers.

* * *

Tatsuya flipped through the hardcover storybook in his hands as he sat by Mikoto's bed, having picked up the book the bedside drawer. It was the middle of the afternoon, and the girl he had come to visit was currently asleep, much to his chagrin. He'd initially intended on visiting earlier that day with the rest of his teammates, but a last minute meeting organised by the Student Council had put a halt to those plans. Tatsuya initially considered leaving upon seeing that she was sleeping when he arrived, but then he thought better of it- he didn't mind waiting a little longer to keep her company. He quite enjoyed visiting her over the last few days- except for the fact that every time he came up here alone when Hajime was downstairs, he'd be bombarded with the heaviest, most scrutinising look from the man until he finally got out of his range of sight. Toshi was napping in the corner of the room too, the dog having been sent in by Hajime just in case Tatsuya attempted anything funny.

He had to admit- Mikoto's father was a scary man.

When Mikoto began to stir, Tatsuya's eyes were immediately drawn to the movement. The girl's eyelids fluttered while she tried to wake herself up, her hands moving to rub at her eyes as she attempted to push herself into a sitting position. Her mouth stretched into a wide yawn that she didn't bother to conceal, and Tatsuya smirked when he noticed her disheveled hair. It was clear that she hadn't noticed him yet, since she seemed so unarmed and casual. It was time to fix that.

"'Through the Looking Glass'." He commented, a small smirk pulling at his lips as he noticed the way Mikoto immediately tensed up at his voice, her hands automatically clenching into fists. He was glad he'd chosen to sit a bit further away from the bed before speaking aloud- if he'd been too close, he may have gotten a pretty nasty black eye. "A classic."

The girl took a moment longer to regain her bearings, blinking at him repeatedly as she tried to shake herself from her drowsiness. When she finally got a good look at Tatsuya, she seemed to relax as she gave a sigh, reaching for the water bottle on her drawer. "I thought you were at a Student Council meeting."

"I was. It ended at two." He then nodded towards her leg, asking, "How's the foot?"

"I still need crutches to walk, but I should be able to attend school when it reopens." She replied after gulping down a few mouthfuls of water, and Tatsuya couldn't help but laugh at her answer.

"That was your main concern, wasn't it?" Tatsuya raised an eyebrow knowingly. Mikoto just ignored the question, running her hands through her hair as she continued.

"You didn't have to visit today if you were busy, y'know. You were already here yesterday."

"There's no harm in giving you a little company."

"Your parents don't mind that you stay out so long?"

"Not really- I'm often given a certain modicum of freedom." Tatsuya replied, a wry smile on his face. "I don't spend all that much time at home anyway."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Why?" The boy glanced up upon hearing Mikoto's apology, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "I just said I didn't spend much time at home, that's all."

"It says something if you'd rather spend time elsewhere than with your family." Mikoto muttered, her response surprising Tatsuya with its simple, yet profound message. His silence seemed to unnerve Mikoto, since she quickly glanced away. "My apologies. I shouldn't make such assumptions without knowing anything."

Normally, Tatsuya would have answered with one of his casual comments, letting the topic slide by to avoid discussing anything too personal. However, as he watched the girl with the blue eyes, who hardly ever asked for him to reveal anything to her when she placed her trust in him so fully... he diverged from his usual course of action.

"...Would you like to know, then?"

Mikoto looked up in surprise at his suggestion, her eyes wide in astonishment. "You don't have to-"

"But I want to." Tatsuya interrupted. Try as he might though, he couldn't suppress the feeling of hesitation that bubbled up in his chest as he came to terms with what he was about to reveal to her. It wasn't something he had ever opened up to anyone about- something that only the members of his family knew of. "I think... I'd like for you to know more about me."

"Only if you're sure." Mikoto spoke up, her voice laced with concern. Though there was the faintest glimmer of curiosity within her deep blue irises, there was no mistaking the genuine uncertainty and concern she felt about his offer. She was giving him the chance to pull out if he felt like it, and though it was an option...

"I am."

Tatsuya refused it. Mikoto may not want him to reveal anything he felt obliged to, but that only reaffirmed his decision to trust in her. The boy pushed his hands into his pockets as he leaned back into his chair, pausing for a moment as he thought about where to start.

"When I was a kid," He began quietly, his eyes taking on a faraway expression as he spoke. "My dad got fired from his job. It was hard on all of us- my mom wasn't working at the time, and he was the sole breadwinner. I guess it all became a little too much for him to handle, because one night... he came home drunk."

Tatsuya halted briefly, breathing in slowly before he continued. "Mom was upset. There was a lot of shouting involved, and it woke me up." There was a tilt at the corners of his lips, yet his expression revealed more bitterness than joy. "I was too young to understand what was going on when I tried to intervene. Just so happened that he had a bottle on him."

Here, Tatsuya touched his fingers to the curtain of hair shielding the left half of his face, tilting his head at Mikoto as he asked, "Have you ever wondered why I wear my hair like this, Mikoto-chan?"

He heard Mikoto's breath catch, her eyes revealing her mortification as she made the connection.

"You mean he- the bottle-"

"Yeah. I have a... reminder, so to speak." Tatsuya had to suppress the urge to grimace, though he did attempt a faint chuckle. "If there's an upside to all that happened, he did everything he could to get me to forgive him after he sobered up. Never went drinking again, either."

"Is that really enough to make up for everything?"

"I'm surprised to hear you say that." Tatsuya commented. "Well, maybe it isn't. But I made sure to prepare myself so that nothing like that ever happened again. It worked out pretty well."

"Still... you were a kid. You shouldn't have had to take on a burden like that." Mikoto murmured, her eyes downcast. Tatsuya was almost surprised at the melancholy in her voice, had he not been more surprised at what she was actually saying. "It must have been lonely."

Her words hit just a little too close to home, and for a moment Tatsuya found his expression growing taut. Lonely? That barely even come close to describing it. However, his face smoothed out once more as he took in a deep, barely shuddering breath, knowing he still had one last thing that he had to do. He couldn't back out now- he just... had to know.

"Do you want to see?" He asked, and Mikoto's head shot up almost immediately as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you comfortable with that?" She questioned immediately, and Tatsuya almost wanted to smile. Always so concerned about his comfort instead of herself...

"Yes." He nodded, his hand reaching up to gather the bangs covering his face. Just before he pushed the dark strands away, he shot her one last smile. "Just... try not to run away."

And he pulled his bangs back.

Tatsuya waited to hear Mikoto's gasp of surprise, or for her to recoil in horror as he revealed what he had hidden beneath his hair for so long- the long, jagged scar that trailed from above his eyebrow, over his eyelid, and ended as it pulled to the side of his temple. He knew what she was seeing-his pale, almost milky white left eye, and he could only imagine what Mikoto was thinking as she realised he was partially blind. Tatsuya watched her expression carefully, bracing himself for her reaction...

"Tatsuya-kun, may I...?"

But what he didn't expect was for her to raise her hand slightly as she asked in a low, meek voice for his permission to touch the blemish on his face.

For a moment, all Tatsuya could do was stare at her worried expression in mild disbelief, unsure if he had heard correctly. There was no apprehension in her gaze, or even the slightest hint of hesitation... nothing but unadulterated concern.

"I... suppose." He managed to comply once he finally found his voice again, his expression uncharacteristically evicting his surprise. Mikoto just nodded silently at his permit, and after another moment's pause, reached out to lay her hand on his face.

He flinched at first when her hand came into contact with his skin, but he somehow stopped himself from scooting away. Instead, he stayed stock-still as her fingers gently trailed over his scar, her blue irises intent as she followed the movement with her eyes. Her touch was soft- almost featherlight- and Tatsuya involuntarily found his eyes fluttering shut for a moment against the gentle caress. He didn't recall the last time anyone had seen his scars, let alone touched him with such tenderness...

"I'm such an idiot." Mikoto murmured, capturing his attention as he snapped out of his thoughts. She looked almost ashamed as she admitted, "I thought your hairstyle was a fashion statement all this time."

Tatsuya couldn't help himself- he laughed at her comment.

"Well, I can't blame you." He smiled at her, and he was rewarded with a brief flicker of amusement in those cerulean eyes before Mikoto's expression became serious once again.

"Your father... did you forgive him?"

"I told him as much." Tatsuya admitted. "But to be honest, I'm not sure just how truthful I was being."

"I don't think I could ever have brought myself to do something like that, even if it was a lie." Mikoto whispered, and Tatsuya responded with a humourless, dry laugh. She was willing to forgive a girl who had broken her leg without second thought- she was just trying to make him feel better.

"You really are a terrible liar." He joked, but Mikoto just frowned and shook her head.

"I'm serious. You're strong." Mikoto insisted, looking at him directly in the eye as she said so- it was then that Tatsuya realised that she wasn't joking. The girl retracted her hand, and Tatsuya had to resist the urge to reach up and cradle her hand to his face. He didn't want her touch to leave, but he had no other choice but to accept it.

"Even if he is your father... it takes a lot not to hate someone for something like this. You're so much stronger than anyone else I know." Mikoto muttered, her voice quiet.

Tatsuya still wasn't entirely convinced that he was hearing correctly, not quite willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had accepted it all a lot better than he'd expected, but most of all, she still looked at him the same way she always did. There was no pity, or disdain... she just seemed to see him for him.

"You're seriously... not repulsed?" He asked, his voice quiet. Mikoto just frowned and shook her head, looking almost offended that he had asked such a question.

"I couldn't care less what you look like. I like Tatsuya Himuro more as a person than as a pretty face." Mikoto admitted before she glanced away, her cheeks tinting pink. "And in my opinion... I think you still look good."

Another moment of silence accompanied her indirect admittance, and Mikoto found her face growing hotter with each passing moment. Perhaps she shouldn't have added that last part...

"So you think I'm handsome." Tatsuya deduced, and Mikoto's mouth fell open at his bold statement.

"I didn't say that." She retorted, though she still didn't look up for fear that her expression would betray her true intentions.

"But you admitted that I look good." Tatsuya pointed out, and Mikoto scowled as she spun back around to face him.

"I-" She didn't get to continue, as her reply died on her tongue the moment she met Tatsuya's eye. The expression he wore was something Mikoto had not expected- it wasn't one of anger or embarrassment, but instead... he was smiling. A true, genuine smile that revealed two rows of perfect white teeth, his eyes crinkling at the corners in such a heartfelt expression of delight way that the girl found her heart stuttering to a stop.

Mikoto knew she had thought of Tatsuya as good-looking before, but now, when he wore such a genuine expression, he looked heart-stoppingly handsome. Not even the scars did anything to deter her opinion- he was just... beautiful.

"At a loss for words?" He jested, raising an eyebrow at her. That snapped Mikoto out of her stupor, and she blushed upon being caught staring.

"Take it as you will." She responded curtly, immediately looking away. Her blush growing darker, she also continued shyly. "And... thank you. For trusting me."

"It really should be the other way around." Tatsuya murmured in reply. The boy's expression then turned wistful, and Mikoto had to consciously remind herself not to reach out and touch his face again in a gesture of comfort. It was somewhat odd to see him this way- the confident, self-assured Tatsuya Himuro, looking so pensive and his hair pulled back to reveal the scars on his face. He looked almost like an entirely different person, and yet... not quite.

Because he was still the Tatsuya that she had come to know and cherish.

"So," The raven-haired boy looked up just then, startling Mikoto with his sudden change of tone and demeanour. "I guess this means you can't go with me to the fireworks festival this Friday."

His casual statement caught Mikoto completely off-guard, and she struggled to put her surprise into words.

"W-what?!"

Yep. Top-notch vocabulary skills.

"I was planning on asking you to go with me. It's the last of the festivals before the end of summer." Tatsuya elaborated, appearing amused at her shock. "But it looks like that's not really an option now."

"You were planning to go to the festival. With me." Mikoto repeated, sounding almost dumbfounded.

"Yes."

"You have a horde of acquaintances, and you wanted to go with me."

"Yes..."

"I don't mean to be rude, Himuro-kun, but did you hit your head on the way here?"

"You don't have much self-confidence in your social skills, do you?" Tatsuya shook his head, chuckling. "I'm serious, though. I really was looking forward to going with you."

"Whatever you say." Mikoto's voice was unnaturally tight as she forced the words from her throat, and she found it increasingly difficult to force down the blood that rushed to her face. That was odd- why did she feel so flustered?

"You're not really used to this sort of thing, are you?" Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, his mismatched eyes seeming to dance with entertainment.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mikoto huffed.

"In denial again?"

"I could call my mom to chase you out for abuse."

"She wouldn't believe you."

"Shut up." The girl growled, but it only served to add to Tatsuya's amusement. Upon seeing his smile widen, Mikoto felt her face growing even hotter and she turned away as she added, "You could always just bring me back a souvenir or something. It'll be good enough for me."

"Yeah. We could go with that." Tatsuya agreed, still smiling fondly at her. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence after that, only occasionally piping up to comment on some odd topic or other. Time passed by in a flash after that, and before Mikoto knew it, she was waving at Tatsuya as he prepared to head home before nightfall, his hair moved back over his eye as he left.

But all the while, Mikoto couldn't help but notice that the smile he wore never left his face.

* * *

Mikoto hugged a pillow to her chest as she lay back on her bed, having abandoned her book after she found herself staring at the same page for half an hour. It was Friday night- two days since Tatsuya had revealed his scar to her- and the girl found herself almost bored to death while the rest of her friends had gone to Tokyo for the fireworks festival. If she was honest, she was kind of disheartened at being unable to go- she would have liked to have met up with Daiki and Satsuki, maybe even enjoyed the scenery by the riverbank as the sky lit up with hundreds of fireworks. But at the moment, only one person occupied the brunette's mind- and that was Yosen's enigmatic shooting guard.

She had always liked the silver shade of Tatsuya's visible eye, and she'd always assumed that his other eye would be the same as well. Yet after he had confessed his secret to her, the image of his face- one side as smooth as porcelain with his right eye a metallic silver, and the other scarred with his pupil a milky white- was seared into her mind. His eyes didn't match like she'd always imagined, and yet... she didn't feel disappointed by the revelation.

If anything, she found that he was even more handsome than he ever was before.

_Ba-thump._

Mikoto's hand flew to her chest, gasping lightly at the sudden flutter of her heart. It didn't help, however- if anything, it felt as though it was beating even faster than before. She didn't understand- what was going on? Was the nausea and strange palpitations of her heart some sort of side effect from her medication?

Before she could ponder upon her predicament for too long, her phone's notification alert sounded several times, startling the girl with the sheer number of times it sounded. Was someone spamming her with text messages?

A frown pulling at her lips, Mikoto reached for her phone and turned it on... only for her surprise to grow when she realised that all the messages she had just received were from one person.

**_'Tatsuya Himuro'_**

Utterly baffled at this point, the girl opened up the first message, only to be greeted with an image of both Tatsuya and Atsushi garbed in yukata. Below that, there was a caption.

**_'Sorry I couldn't give you live updates, the signal was terrible around the area. But here's a recap of the events today.'_**

A whole thread of pictures followed after that, each one captioned with details of what was going on in each one.

**_'Atsushi won all of this in the games. Didn't know he was so good with these things.'_**

**_'He is also terrifying with a monster mask, by the way. Never again.'_**

**_'Got one of these bird whistles for you. Maybe we can use them to annoy Fukui one of these days.'_**

**_'We ran into Nigou again here, too. You think Toshi would enjoy his company?'_**

**_'The fireworks display was beautiful. Wish you could have been here to enjoy them with me.'_**

And at the very end, there was a single picture of Tatsuya smiling into the lens of his phone camera, plus one last message to round it all up...

**_'Hope you're not feeling too bored and that this cheered you up. Will take you with us the next time around- I promise. Good night, Mikoto-chan.'_**

There it was again. The way her heart seemed to skip a beat. Mikoto found her eyes trained on the sole picture of Tatsuya at the very end of the message thread, unable to look away. For once, she actually looked at him, her eyes trailing from the slant of his brow to the curve of his jaw. She recalled every expression she'd ever seen on that face- from that half-smile he always wore, to the scowl that pulled his lips downwards and furrowed his brow... to the bright smile he wore just two days ago, right in this very room.

_Ba-thump._

"...Oh no." Mikoto placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in horror as realisation dawned on her. "No, no, no..."

She wouldn't. She couldn't.

...But she was.

She was falling for Tatsuya Himuro.

* * *

**AN: So… there we have it. Lots of stuff happened this chapter, and I can't believe I even managed to finish it OTL. My fingers are just about numb lmao. And I apologise if my sudden use of first names all around is sort of disorientating- I figured I should stick to one particular style to avoid making things messy. Sorry for the confusion 8'D**

**And again, regarding Reiko- I have no plans for any romance between her and Atsushi thus far, so fret not. I just needed a character to be the 'Murasakibara' to Mikoto's 'Himuro' in a sense… and also to act as a plot device, haha!**

**A little note, by the way! I'm having my first sem exams in May, so I'm not sure when the next update will be. I do hope you guys will be patient with me, and hopefully this chapter will satisfy you guys for a little while. Until then, I hope you enjoyed it~**

**Now on to the credits! Thank you so much to VanillaMilkshake18, Chocogirl24, VixenOfMeiraz, Indirianna, PhoenixRage92, Yonacchi, TheBloodyArrow, VioletFan123, LadyAmazon, Lady Syndra, Tamani, LincoeAlisson3298, Human Marshmallow, ashleybruch5, amy1945, Bliss Autumn, Noiz Viruz, royalpurple153,ty4ryuut, My Name Is Alice, lostinthefridge, XxTealJadexX, AnimeLoverHaruka and Dancing Peony for reviewing! I loved reading all of your comments and your opinions, and again I apologise for replying late to you guys! Just know that I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and I will always try to respond, even if it takes weeks for me to do so! 8D**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.**

* * *

**Sender: Tetsuya Kuroko**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**Momoi-san has informed me of your injury, Shirato-san. I am sorry to hear of that, and I bid you a speedy recovery. Though I am aware of your tendency to worry over others, please do pay attention to your own needs at this moment and prioritise your health. It would be most unpleasant to receive news should you fall into a worse condition.**

**Do take care, Shirato-san.**

**x-x-x**

"Why do I feel like I've been lectured by my mom…?"

**x-x-x**

**Sender: Ryota~**

**Recipient: Shirato-cchi**

**Shirato-cchi! I heard you broke your leg?** **That sounds painful! (✖╭╮✖)**

**I hope you recover quickly! Remember to rest up and drink lots of water! ^▽^)σ)~O~)**

**Or is that for colds? ಠ_ಠ I don't know **(ΘεΘ;)

**Take care, Shirato-cchi! Fighting~ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ**

**x-x-x**

"How did he type out so many emojis?"

**x-x-x**

**Sender: Shintaro Midorima**

**Recipient: Mikoto Shirato**

**It has come to my attention that you have suffered an injury due to an accident, Shirato-senpai. While I offer you my well wishes for your recovery, I would also use this opportunity to send you a list of lucky items recommended by Oha Asa for the sick and injured in order for a speedy recovery. The list is as fol—**

_***Loading message***_

**x-x-x**

"It's been an hour, why isn't it loa- …oh my god. Did he type all of that out?!"

* * *

Chapter 23

* * *

_"Yosh_! C'mon, Shirato-senpai, you can do it! Woohoo!"

"Komatsu-chan." Mikoto growled as she leaned on her good leg, shooting the underclassman an exasperated glare. The redhead was standing at the top of the stairs to the second floor, cheering Mikoto on as she attempted to climb up the stairs with her crutches. "Please stop drawing attention. And turn off that blasted music before a teacher confiscates your phone."

"Aww. That's no fun." Reiko complained, though she willingly turned off her phone which had been blaring out 'Eye Of The Tiger'. The first-year had encountered Mikoto at the entrance of the school, and she'd immediately offered to help her out. Thus, Mikoto found herself teaming up with her lively new kouhai again- something she wasn't sure how to feel about.

The second-year just breathed in deeply before continuing her painstaking journey to the top of the stairway, ready to collapse when she finally reached the first floor. Only one flight had already taken a lot out of her- by now she just felt like lying down in the middle of the corridor.

"You okay, senpai?" Reiko asked, sounding genuinely concerned. The brunette just nodded in reply.

"I'm fine. Just a bit winded."

"Maybe I can help." Reiko mused, taking a moment to ponder her options. Turning to Mikoto with a serious expression, she then asked, "Wanna ride on my shoulders, senpai?"

"Hell no." The brunette retorted, her voice deadpan.

"It'd be a lot quicker."

"What did you not understand by 'no'?"

"You know, you've got another two flights of stairs to go."

A pause.

"...Is there an alternative to riding on your shoulders?" Mikoto asked slowly. The fact that she even considered letting Reiko touch her at all just proved how desperate she was at that moment.

"I could help you up the stairs if you put an arm around me." The redhead suggested, her new proposal sounding much more appealing to Mikoto than the first one.

"Be subtle about it." She warned, gathering both her crutches in one hand as she looped her other arm over the first-year's shoulders- the redhead had to squat a little to allow her to do so.

"You got it, senpai." Reiko nodded, still wearing a solemn expression.

But apparently, what Mikoto had assumed was going to take place and what Reiko had in mind were entirely different, because before the second-year could protest, the redhead swiped at the back of her knees with her foot. Mikoto instinctively yelped and latched onto Reiko with the arm she had around her as she fell, though the latter was quick to catch her before she could hit the floor. One of the Reiko's hands hand supported Mikoto's back, while the other looped under her knees as she was swept her off her feet. Literally.

"W-what is the meaning of this?!" Mikoto spluttered, struggling to keep a hold on her crutches. It was a rather strange position that she found herself in now, to say the least- it wasn't every day that she got princess-carried by a younger student who towered over her while she clutched onto her crutches for dear life.

And Reiko looked way too smug for her liking.

"Don't worry, senpai!" The girl declared, smiling in what she probably assumed was a charming manner as she hiked up the stairs with Mikoto in her arms…. while everyone else in the vicinity stared. "I shall get you to class on time!"

"What part of the word 'subtle' did you not understand?!" Mikoto barked, her voice growing shrilly as she saw the faces of her dumbfounded schoolmates passing by. What had she gotten herself into?!

"Well, isn't this less conspicuous than riding on my shoulders?" Reiko asked innocently- Mikoto couldn't tell if she was truly oblivious to the situation or if she honestly didn't see what the problem was.

"Komatsu-chan, put me down right now!"

"What kind of gratitude is that?"

"Gah! Careful!" Mikoto screeched as Reiko nearly dropped her. This prompted her to wrap her arms around her junior's neck and hold on for dear life, which in turn caused the first-year to gag.

"First you tell me to put you down, then you tell me to be careful? Make up your mind, senpai!"

"You're not slowing down!"

"Of course not! I told you I'd help, didn't I?"

And so the banter continued. Mikoto persisted with her loud protests even as Reiko refused to put her down, but the first-year barely slowed her pace whilst she waltzed past all the other bewildered students in the hallways of the next floor. Coincidentally, it was also in that hallway that Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro were hanging around as the grinning junior passed by, hoisting their abducted manager who still continued to flail her crutches around in a highly agitated manner and thus resulting in fellow students giving the duo a wide berth to pass by.

Tatsuya was completely dumbfounded at the sight. Atsushi just chewed on his chocolate bar and had an eyebrow raised in vague amusement.

"Shira-chin looks like she's having fun." The violet-haired centre commented, sounding far too casual about the odd sight. Tatsuya just blinked slowly, still not quite registering what he'd just seen. When he did...

"That... wasn't exactly the word I was going to use." He admitted, struggling to keep a straight face as he stifled his laughter with a hand.

He doubted this would be a morning Mikoto would forget any time soon.

* * *

Tatsuya knew he had sway over others. He was well aware of the charming words that rolled smoothly off his tongue, and of his handsome appearance that turned heads when he walked by. A small smile, and people would trust him immediately. He could carry a conversation with little to no effort, befriending almost anyone and everyone with ease. He was used to being in control; of having this beguiling power.

And that was why it frustrated him to no end that the one person whose attention he wanted was practically immune to all his ways.

Tatsuya sighed at the thought, straightening his tie as he made his way down the hallway of the school building after returning from his trip to the cafeteria. It was still recess, and though he would usually join his teammates at a table today, he'd decided on a slight change of plans.

He eventually reached the door to classroom 2-A, where a number students were either hanging around inside the class or heading out for their lunch break. A couple of students stared as he walked into the class, but he paid them no heed- his focus was on the girl sitting near the back of the class who didn't look up from her book until he stopped next to her desk.

"Can you even see over all the other students from back here?" Tatsuya inquired, gauging the distance from her seat to the whiteboard. He'd assumed she would have picked a seat closer to the front, given her short stature.

"Liu-kun sits next to me. I copy off of him when I can't see the board." Mikoto replied, finally closing her book and removing her reading glasses as she shot Tatsuya a glance. "What brings you here?"

"Just wanted to keep you company during break."

"Murasakibara-kun isn't with you?"

"No. He went to the cafeteria today."

"Oh." Mikoto's eyes darted away as she said that- an odd display of edginess on her part. Regardless, Tatsuya didn't comment on it as he took hold of the chair opposite of her desk, turning it around so that he faced her as he sat down.

"In any case, I meant to ask you- have you decided which team you're going to be on during sports day?" He inquired- a question he'd been meaning to ask ever since the School Council had finalised the details of the event that was to take place in a couple more weeks, right after their exams. The sports day was being held towards the middle of September- unlike most other schools, Yosen had decided to host the event earlier to avoid any complications that may arise due to any unexpectedly early snowfalls- and this year the teams were to be split according to the individual clubs of each student.

Mikoto took a moment to think before responding. "The gymnastics team. I'm still an official member of theirs, after all."

"Hm, I suppose." Tatsuya tapped a finger against the plastic-wrapped onigiri he'd bought for his lunch, his lips pursing slightly. He'd expected such an answer, but it still rubbed him the wrong way to hear her dissociate herself from the basketball team so nonchalantly. She may not have been their manager on paper, but still...

"What's the matter?" Mikoto asked as she took out her lunchbox, clearly noticing his discontent. The boy just shook his head, smoothing out his expression as he replied.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself about." Suddenly remembering something, Tatsuya straightened in his seat as his hands went to his pockets. "I actually wanted to pass something to you."

"Hm?" Mikoto tilted her head, but her eyes widened in surprise when he brought out the item he'd been searching his pockets for and laid it on the table- the chick whistle he'd gotten from the festival. It was made of white clay, tiny swirls and delicately painted blossoms decorating the otherwise blank surface of the bird-shaped trinket.

"I didn't think you were actually serious about giving me one of these." Mikoto muttered as she lifted the whistle up for a closer look, turning it around in her hands as she gazed at it in wonder. She then looked back at Tatsuya, raising an eyebrow. "I hope this means you were serious about using these to annoy Fukui-senpai, too."

"I was, at first." He admitted. "But I think Atsushi's the one who's going to blow his top if he hears it again."

"There goes that plan, then." Mikoto smiled, her expression turning nostalgic as her blue eyes lingered on the whistle once more. "It's been a long time since I've seen one of these. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it." Tatsuya responded, a smile touching his own lips as well. He then started to unwrap his rice ball, gesturing for Mikoto to start on her own food as well. "Well, we'd better eat up before recess ends."

"Right." Mikoto consented, storing the whistle away safely in a compartment on her bag before she opened up her bento. "Then, _itadakimasu_."

They ate in relative silence, the two of them finding no need for idle chatter. Though Tatsuya did notice that Mikoto occasionally glanced over at him before looking away again, or even stared at him when she thought he wasn't looking, he made no move to point it out- but it did make him feel unnaturally self conscious. He even found himself wiping his face with a hand more than once to make sure that there weren't any stray grains of rice on his visage, though he found nothing. It wasn't until they'd both finished their food and Mikoto had stashed away her lunchbox before she finally spoke.

"Tatsuya-kun."

"Hm?" Tatsuya replied just a bit too quickly, having been waiting for her to speak up. Mikoto didn't seem to notice, but a flash of hesitation darted across her face before she settled for a carefully guarded expression.

"It can't be comfortable to have your hair in your face all the time." She commented, avoiding eye contact with him. "If you ever want to pull it back, feel free to do so. I won't mind."

Tatsuya blinked, taken aback at her unexpected remark. However, before he could even begin to reply the bell rang, signalling the end of recess.

"You should get going. Our history teacher usually arrives early." Mikoto informed him, albeit in a rushed manner. It was almost as though she was trying to chase him out- given that she still seemed fascinated with her table and a faint redness tinged the tips of her ears, it was a fair assumption. Still, Tatsuya found that he was unable to put a voice to his thoughts as he stood up, preparing to take his leave. However, just when he took a few steps away from her desk, he stopped and turned around, his words escaping his lips without thinking.

"Mikoto-chan." The brunette looked up when he called her name, her expression perplexed. Tatsuya continued, undeterred. "You're part of our team too. Don't ever doubt that."

Mikoto seemed startled at his blunt statement- almost as startled as he'd been by hers just seconds earlier. She seemed to register his words after a moment, and she started playing with her braid nervously- again, another strange display of shyness on her part.

"Thank you." Mikoto's gaze only briefly met his before she looked back down again. For once, Tatsuya found himself looking away just as quickly and he strode out the door, feeling strangely light headed as he did so. He crossed paths with Liu as he returned to his own class as well, but he would not realise the reason for the perturbed expression that crossed the Chinese boy's until he thought about it later.

It was unlike Tatsuya to be completely unaware of the smile that stayed on his face ever since he'd left Mikoto's class. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that her reactions indicated the possibility that maybe- just maybe- she wasn't quite as immune to his approaches as she had been before.

* * *

Contrary to her father's remarks before she'd left for the Interhigh, Mikoto had actually been struggling to balance her grades, her co-curriculum activities, as well as her social life for quite some time. Between recovering from her injuries, cramming for exams, planning new regimens, finishing her homework, doing the team's laundry, and so much more, she wasn't sure how she even made it through the week without passing out.

The exam that followed soon after school had reopened only proved how all her activities had taken a toll on her- things that should have been easy were not due to her having overlooked them during her revisions, and with the lack of sleep from pulling as many all-nighters as she could before the test, she was hardly prepared. Though she'd still gotten out with a relatively high score, her overall grade slipped. Her parents hadn't exactly been over the moon at her results, but neither did they kick up a storm about it- after all, she'd still made the cut, although at a less impressive pace than usual. In contrast, the first thing Mikoto had done when she came home after receiving her results was throw herself onto her bed before screaming into her pillow and thrashing her arms in frustration.

Mikoto Shirato was not used to performing at anything less than her optimum functionality. Naturally, she was outraged.

When she heard that Atsushi had gotten sixth place in his grade, she very nearly strangled the boy with her bare hands. However, the method of which this information was conveyed to her- by Atsushi himself- was highly convenient for her, as it allowed her to take out her frustration on someone else while making it seem almost justifiable.

"Shira-chin." The boy came up to her as she was speaking to Reiko next to her locker after classes had ended, startling them both. However, he took no heed of their surprise as he continued woefully, "Muro-chin crushed all my snacks because I did better than him in the last exam."

That brought a frown to Mikoto's face. "How did you do?"

"I got sixth place."

Mikoto suddenly didn't blame Tatsuya for reacting as he did. She probably would have done the same. But even though she was supposed to be the adult in this situation...

"Don't worry. I'll handle his punishment."

This would be fair revenge for all the stress she'd suffered because of him... though it was admittedly her own fault. It didn't matter- she was exhausted, her foot still ached, and she needed an outlet for her pent up frustration regarding her crush on Tatsuya Himuro. Besides, she couldn't be the mature one all the time.

And judging from the pleased look that crossed Atsushi's face and the horrified one on Reiko's, she deduced that they had realised it too.

* * *

"Say, has anyone seen Murasakibara?" Kenichi asked as he did a head count of all the members that were present. It didn't take much effort on his part to notice that one highly prominent shock of violet hair was missing.

"It appears he is still absent." Liu mused, though he was none too concerned about it. Atsushi would never dare to skip practice as long as Coach Araki was around.

"He's not here yet?" Tatsuya feigned ignorance, a faint smirk pulling at his lips. "That's a shame."

Kensuke, having been to only one to witness Tatsuya's method of exacting revenge on Atsushi by decimating his precious snack collection- a method that even he found particularly cruel- shuddered.

"Himuro, you sadist." He muttered, glancing at his underclassman with a mixture of disdain and vague fear. Tatsuya's expression didn't change, though he did shoot Kensuke a look that nearly made him shudder again and clam up- Tatsuya was definitely not someone he wanted as an enemy. Thankfully, the door to the gym opened just then, drawing the boy's attention away from him.

"Oh, that must be-"

Kenichi cut himself off abruptly, and when everyone else turned to see what had startled their captain into silence, they were just as confounded. Atsushi was walking in, all right- but he was also clutching the sleeve of a smirking Mikoto Shirato. It was almost possible to see the sparkles that shone around her despite the limp in her step as she made her way to Coach Araki's side, looking far too pleased. The coach herself looked a bit bemused at the expression the manager wore, and for good reason.

That smirk meant that someone was going to die. And all of the members of the basketball team simultaneously felt the shiver that ran down their spines that came with the knowledge of that one prediction.

"Murasakibara, what have you triggered?" Liu asked as Atsushi made his way towards them, his tone cautious. Everyone else gathered closer to listen, but Atsushi just shrugged.

"Nothing. I just got Shira-chin to take me out and buy more snacks after I told her what happened to my stash."

Tatsuya and Kensuke stiffened simultaneously.

"You told her?" Tatsuya repeated, his visible eye widening in horror.

"Yep." Atsushi nodded, a lazy smile on his face. "I bought her some blueberry pocky, too."

"Blueberry. Of course." Kensuke muttered, though he couldn't help but feel sorry for Tatsuya. The guy was in for a time, that was for sure.

"...Atsushi, do you realise what you've just sentenced me to?" Tatsuya managed to cough out, his usually passive face clearly expressing his disbelief and even a hint of fear. Atsushi just shrugged again, but his eyes glittered with devious glee- oh boy, did he know what he had done, alright...

"Ahem." The sound of Coach Araki clearing her throat had everyone snapping to attention. Masako appeared relatively unperturbed as she announced, "Listen up. Due to a special request on our manager's behalf, there's going to be a slight adjustment in the training schedule today. You will all be completing the usual regimen today..."

Here, Masako looked directly at Tatsuya, who raised his eyebrows in surprise. The coach's expression was unchanging as she uttered her next command, "However, there will be a special exception made for you, Himuro."

If they had been wearing hats, the other members would have taken them off and held them to their chests, praying that their shooting guard would be allowed a quick and painless death. Even Saito Iwasaki, who stood at the back, signed himself with the sign of the cross as he offered a brief prayer for Tatsuya, who looked utterly baffled at the sudden twist of events. However, immediately after the ace's sentence was issued, the coach went about ordering them to begin their warm up laps, leaving the shooting guard alone to watch as Mikoto approached him with that faint smirk still resting on her face, each step bringing her closer to him and thus his approaching doom.

In a last ditch effort to redeem himself, Tatsuya tried to give an explanation for his actions. "Mikoto-chan, let me expla-"

"This is what you will be doing today, Tatsuya-kun." Mikoto interrupted, holding out a piece of paper on which she had written down his regimen for the day. "All while under my personal supervision."

"T-this is..." Tatsuya stared at the paper in disbelief, an uncharacteristic stumble to his words as he beheld the list of exercises he was supposed to accomplish. He shot Mikoto a wide-eyed look, hoping to appeal to her one last time. "You're kidding, right?"

"Think of it as... capital punishment." Mikoto deliberated, shooting him a pointed look. "Bullying is a very serious offence, Tatsuya-kun."

"Mikoto-chan, you can't possibly be-"

"First up, 50 crunches." Mikoto intercepted him once more, holding up her stopwatch as she retrieved her paper and skimmed through it once more. "Finish them within the minute, and maybe I'll lessen the 10 laps you're going to run to 8."

"But-"

"Your minute starts now."

Tatsuya didn't have time to argue any further. When he lay down and did as he was told, he caught sight of Atsushi watching them while he ran his laps, and the first-year waved at him almost tauntingly before focusing back on his path.

When this was all over, Tatsuya swore that he was going to murder the Yosen centre. But only if he would be able to walk after this training session.

**...**

Mikoto never admitted it, but she did take pity on Tatsuya enough to cut down most of the exercises she'd initially planned out without telling him about it.

Tatsuya just pretended not to notice for his own sake.

* * *

Mikoto flipped through the pages of an encyclopaedia as she sat at a desk in the library, occasionally pushing up her glasses at intervals. The book she was reading was one on general knowledge, ranging from various diseases to historical figures that she heard little about in her history lessons. She had long since lost track of time as her eyes roved the pages of the book, stashing away every new bit of knowledge that caught her interest. It would never cease to fascinate her just how much there was to know about the world, and yet she knew so little...

"In the library right after exams have ended? A rare sight."

The brunette looked up when the voice reached her ears, though she knew all too well who the owner of said voice was before she even saw him. Indeed, Tatsuya Himuro stood before her with that not-quite smile on his face, and though it was a sight she was accustomed to, she still felt her pulse accelerate. She cursed her newly-discovered affections with every fibre of her being.

"What brings you here?" She asked- possibly a bit too curtly, given how nervous she was starting to feel around him.

"I don't know- what do people normally do in a library?"

The sarcasm helped to diminish her infatuation-driven awkwardness somewhat.

"Fortunately for you, not homicide." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is there something you need right now?"

"No. I just thought I'd stop by. Komatsu-chan told me you were here on your own." Tatsuya replied- Mikoto silently cursed Reiko's loose lips sometimes. "If my being here disturbs you, I can leave."

Mikoto contemplated her options. Having him here would make things a bit tense for her, but at the same time... she enjoyed his company. Even when he didn't say anything, his mere presence would reassure her. She had gotten so used to him always being around that it would feel both foreign and discomforting to send him away for no reason.

That, and she still liked it when he spent time with her. She detested herself for feeling this way.

"You could stay, but we can't talk much thanks to you-know-who." Mikoto warned, gesturing with an inclination of her head towards Mrs Akira. The woman was already eyeing them, and Mikoto had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"I don't mind. I've got a bit of homework to finish up, anyway." Tatsuya responded, pulling out the chair directly opposite hers. Mikoto felt her heart skip a beat when his foot nudged hers by accident, but to her credit she maintained a straight face.

She couldn't let her mask slip. Perhaps given time, her feelings would fade, because as much as she wanted him to see her as something more, she didn't want to risk losing his trust and the relationship they already had. He was one of the constants in her monotonous life, and for that she was grateful.

Being friends was enough. She just wished she didn't feel the dull thud of disappointment that came with such a thought.

By the time Mikoto made it halfway through the tome of knowledge she had procured, it was already close to five in the afternoon. She hadn't even realised that time had flown by so fast, and she quickly shot to her feet, preparing to return the book to its shelf. She couldn't believe that she had been so engrossed with reading that she had completely disregarded looking at the time- how careless of her...

"I'll put this back, then." She informed Tatsuya, who had accommodated her silence for the past two hours without complaint. He, too, began to pack away the book he had brought with him, and he simply inclined his head at her announcement.

Though the encyclopaedia was a little heavy, Mikoto managed to carry it with some effort as she made her way back to the bookshelves. She had acquired the book from the shelves closer to the back of the library, and so that was where she headed to as she located the proper place to put it. After finding the right numbering, she stood on her toes in order to put the book back up on the shelf- only to be startled when a hand reached out and snatched it from her grasp, placing the tome back in its rightful place. Spinning around in surprise, Mikoto nearly collided with Tatsuya, his gaze trained on her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Uh- I'm sorry" Mikoto stuttered as she attempted to apologise for bumping into him, but then again... why was he standing so close?

"It's okay." He replied quietly, his husky voice causing heat to rush up to Mikoto's cheeks against her will. Shaking herself out of her disorientation, Mikoto attempted to squeeze past him.

"We should head home. Most of the students left already." She suggested in an attempt to seem casual, but that was all for naught as Tatsuya placed his hand against the bookshelf right next to her, halting her attempt to slip away. The girl balked.

"What-" But before Mikoto could so much as blink, Tatsuya suddenly took a step forth, coming so close to her that she was forced to retreat, her back hitting the bookshelf. The boy only stopped his advance once there wasn't any space between them, placing his other hand on the shelf on Mikoto's other side and trapping her in place. She wanted to voice her confusion, but the words caught in her throat when she saw the way he gazed at her, slate irises burning with such turbulent emotions that she found it difficult to pick out each individual one. There was frustration, exasperation, and... yearning?

"T-Tatsuya-kun," Mikoto managed to squeeze the words out, evidently bewildered by this sudden change in demeanour. There it was again- that feeling in her chest as if her heart was flopping over and her stomach clenching uncomfortably. "What are you-"

"Shh." Tatsuya interrupted, placing a finger upon her lips as he silenced her before she could finish. He leaned close, his voice lowered into a sultry whisper as he said, "We're in the library."

Frozen in place by shock and anticipation of his actions, Mikoto didn't know what to do as Tatsuya reached up and removed her reading glasses, causing her heart to pound so loudly she was positive he could hear it too.

And she could not deny that she actually wanted him to come closer.

Her own infatuation with Yosen's shooting guard was what kept her from protesting, Mikoto acknowledged with a heavy sense of guilt. Even as his eyes fell shut and he closed the distance between them, she found herself waiting for his lips to meet hers- eagerly, almost. He was so close now, _so_ close, and when his lips brushed her own-

_"Mikoto-chan."_

She was awoken by the sound of someone calling her name and the feeling of a hand on her shoulder.

The girl's back straightened immediately as she shot up in her seat, though the sudden change in posture sent her head spinning. Her hand drifting to her forehead, Mikoto squinted a few times to clear her vision, drowsiness still clouding her mind. When she realised that the hand on her shoulder hadn't moved yet, she flinched as her head swivelled towards its owner. Tatsuya was quick to remove his hand when he saw her response, his expression apologetic as he spoke to her once again.

"Sorry to startle you, but most of the students are starting to leave now."

"They have?" Mikoto mumbled, reaching up to remove her glasses from her face- she'd fallen asleep with them, and now the sides of her face hurt. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long, don't worry." He reassured her, a slight smile on his face. "Sorry for not waking you sooner, I figured I'd let you rest a bit."

"It's fine." Mikoto rubbed at her eyes as she yawned- and at that moment the memories of her dream flooded back into her mind. Mikoto felt her face heat up again as horror seeped into her mind upon realising what an absurd dream she'd had- how on earth had she dreamed that up?! She looked back at Tatsuya, almost afraid to see any indication in his expression that he had realised what her subconscious mind had conjured up as she slept.

"I put your book back on the shelf after you dozed off." He informed her, and Mikoto felt her tension fade a bit... until he tilted his head at her and asked, "You were mumbling a bit in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?"

"N-not exactly." She spluttered, averting her eyes and trying hopelessly to stifle her blush. She begged to every higher being out there that she hadn't said something in her sleep that had given her away- she would jump off the school building if she had.

"Do you want to talk about it-"

"No!" Mikoto cut Tatsuya off quickly, though she quickly attempted to reign in her composure when she saw the startled look that crossed his face upon her exclamation. A quick hush from Mrs Akira and curious looks from the other students who were still in the library had Mikoto cringing at the attention she had unintentionally attracted, and she lowered her voice as she continued, "I-I mean, that's alright. Just a bit confused from the sudden awakening, that's all.."

"If you say so." Tatsuya relented, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. Gesturing towards the exit, he then asked, "Shall we be on our way, then?"

Mikoto was all too eager to comply to the request if it would change the subject, and she quickly packed up her things before following Tatsuya out the door. Their walk to the station was mostly filled with silence- Mikoto reckoned that it was only awkward on her part, but she was grateful for it. It gave her time to convince herself that everything was okay- as long as he never found out about her whack dream, there was nothing to worry about. It wasn't much of an assurance, but it helped her feel a little less anxious about the situation as she reigned in her embarrassment.

"Just in time." Mikoto had to suppress a relieved smile when she saw her train at the station right as they reached the platform. She was grateful that she didn't have to spend more time in Tatsuya's company than necessary after that blunder- she liked being in his presence, just not at that particular moment. Turning towards said boy, she raised a hand in farewell and said, "Thanks for accompanying me again, Tatsuya-kun."

"It wasn't a problem." He replied, waving at her as she boarded her train. The girl heaved a sigh as she walked past the train doors- boy, was she glad that was over. It was like the tension had just rushed out of her body all at once now that she knew she was safe...

"Oh, and by the way, Mikoto-chan."

Tatsuya called out to her just as the alert sounded for the doors to close, and she turned around to see him still standing where she'd left him.

"Yeah?" Mikoto tilted her head, curious as to what he had to say all of a sudden. In response, Tatsuya just smiled, though there was a sly edge to it that immediately instilled a feeling of dread inside Mikoto- and rightly so, because when he spoke again...

"My favourite part was when you said my name in your sleep."

As the train doors closed and sealed Tatsuya off from her sights, the only thing Mikoto wanted to do was die.

* * *

**AN: I have returned! Sem break is utter bliss, that's for sure. I just wanna take this chance to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and/or favourited this story, and thanks for sticking around despite the intervals between updates! A special shout out to everyone who reviewed (I'd like to name each of you individually but the sheer number of people who left a comment is overwhelming, so I hope you all don't mind!), you guys really know how to make my day with your kind words. Thanks so much for all the support, guys, and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon! (And please don't kill me for this chapter hAHA)  
**

**Also, I notice that a lot of you guys tend to have really interesting suggestions and/or theories regarding this story, and I'd like to say that I really do appreciate all the inspiration you guys have given me! Quite a few of the events in this story- some of the best parts, at that- were written based off ideas or requests that you guys have made, and I want to thank you guys for lending me your support! I apologise if there are any suggestions that I have not or cannot include in this story (whether due to my own lack of ability, lack of space to include in my planned outline or simply a clash with my own ideas), especially since some of them are really fascinating. **

**However, I would like to say this- if any of you ever want to 'borrow' Shirato for in any one shots or works of your own, be it for scenarios/ plot bunnies etc that I can't include in the progression of this story, I honestly wouldn't mind at all! It would be interesting to see how something like that would turn out, honestly, and it may even help me to view my story from a different perspective. Just drop me a PM if any of you want to take me up on the offer ;)**

**Sorry for the long AN! Now, on to the guest review responses!**

**Amethyst:** Ahh, your review made me blush, haha! I really am grateful for such praise, and though I don't quite believe that I am deserving of it I'm glad that you hold this story in such high regard. I will definitely do my best to finish this to the best of my abilities, so please be patient with me! 8D

**Guest (1):** I'm glad you liked that chapter! Now it's time for all the awkward fluff lmao. And oh, it's fine if you feel that way- but if that is the case I do hope that the slight romance on Hinata and Kenichi's part doesn't bother you too much, haha!

As for your question- I honestly hadn't considered that at first, to be honest! I hope that the first part of this chapter answers your question- thank you very much for giving me inspiration for that, haha! I hope you don't mind!

**Soma:** Aha, I'm glad it caught your interest! I hope it lived up to your expectations- and I do apologise if it didn't XD

**Guest (2):** Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review ;D

**Otakusonline:** I groaned just as much because I suck at writing fluff, haha! But thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

**Suyoko:** Yeah, I figured I'd delayed Mikoto's realisation long enough lolol! I hope you enjoy this chapter~

**ruthie:** Heya! Thanks so much for taking the time to review- I'm glad you enjoy this story so far! Hopefully this chapter was to your liking ;D

**xiu:** Ahhh it makes me feel humbled to think that you'd stay up so late with crappy connection just to read this, haha! Thank you for taking the time to do so, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Clever Name:** LOL I hoped to convey just how (almost ridiculously) soft-hearted Mikoto can be at times. But in all honesty I wouldn't have stood for something like that either, haha! Good thing we're not scouts XD

**xx:** TBH that part was one of my favourite parts to write, haha! Ahh that whole chapter was a joy to write, really XD


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